Snake Healer: The Malfoy Muggle Lover
by Noratav
Summary: Harry is rescued from Privet Drive and is sent to live at Malfoy Manor. How will he cope? And how will he react when Lucius is revealed to be his father? Complete.
1. Prologue: Rescue

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 13th March 2003   
Revised Version Posted 22nd June 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

PROLOGUE: RESCUE 

It was the hottest day of the summer so far, although given that it was early July the summer was still young. Even so it had already been a hot summer and it could only get hotter. Harry Potter was outside in the front garden of 4 Privet Drive weeding the flowerbeds. At least that was what he was supposed to be doing. In reality he was resting under the shade of next door's sycamore tree out of the watchful glares of his only living relatives, the Dursleys, and anyone else who might be watching. It was while Harry was under this tree that he noticed the two figures walking down Privet Drive towards number four. He recognised them instantly, even though he was not used to seeing them in muggle clothes. The first had the platinum blond hair and the pale pointed face that marked him as a Malfoy and by definition a death eater. He wore a smart designer suit, which looked somewhat more formal than the normal attire of Little Whinging's businessmen and naturally was far more expensive. The second wore a shabbier, less expensive suit. This man was obviously less concerned with his appearance as his long black hair looked greasy and he had a hooked nose. They were the last two men he expected to see at Privet Drive, especially as one had been arrested a few weeks previously for being a death eater, whilst the other hadn't been speaking to him for several months, ever since Harry had eavesdropped in his pensieve. The blond haired man had managed to get himself released from Azkaban after agreeing to tell the Ministry everything he knew about Voldemort, but even so he was still under house arrest. The fact they were here together spelled big trouble for Harry, even if the black haired one was loyal to the light side and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. 

The black haired man walked up to the door of the Dursley residence and rang the doorbell, whilst the other man lingered by the garden fence. 

"Hello," Aunt Petunia said, opening the front door. 

"My name is Severus Snape," the black haired man asserted somewhat gruffly, "I'm here for your nephew." 

Aunt Petunia scowled, "I don't have a nephew." she protested distastefully. 

"Albus Dumbledore wants the boy removed from your care. I am here to collect him on his behalf." Snape continued ignoring the Muggle's comment, and preventing her attempt to slam the door in his face. Harry doubted the accuracy of his claim, judging by Lucius Malfoy's presence it was far more likely that it was Voldemort who desired Harry's removal from the care of his relatives. Harry would have tried to make his escape if it weren't for the fact that Malfoy would have seen him. 

"Really," Aunt Petunia chirped, she seemed positively delighted at the prospect of Harry's departure, "Have him. We don't want him. We never have…" She continued to babble as she let Snape inside the house, conveniently forgetting the fact he was a wizard. Harry thought he saw Snape nodding in agreement. 

"An admirable sentiment Mrs Dursley. Potter is an extremely disruptive student," Snape said, interrupting Aunt Petunia, as the front door closed behind them. He imagined Snape and Aunt Petunia swapping insults and bad stories about Harry, while his most hated professor collected his belongings. Harry swore that the glares Lucius Malfoy was directing towards the muggle hardened when she started bad-mouthing Harry, but for the life of him he couldn't work out why. 

"If you come closer I'll hex you." Harry said defiantly when Lucius began to walk across the lawn towards Harry. He had his wand drawn to indicate his threat was serious. Lucius stopped moving about halfway across the lawn, seemingly unconcerned by the boy's threat. 

"I'm not here on the dark lord's orders," Malfoy drawled conversationally in a tone of voice remarkably similar to that of his son, "If anything he would prefer you here, where he knows where you are." 

"So? You're still here to take me to him." Harry alleged accusingly, "I don't know what lies you told to worm your way out of Azkaban, but nobody else would trust you to do their dirty work." 

"I am here of my own free will." the elder man intoned, "I, unlike my son, would prefer to see you alive. If only out of respect for your mother." 

"Keep her out of this," Harry shouted angrily, "She's got nothing to do with this situation." The blond's reference to his parents had riled him. 

"I beg to differ Harry," Lucius explained, "She and I were friends of a sort. I did a lot of business with her. After a while we developed a close understanding." Harry scoffed at this; the idea of Lucius Malfoy doing business with let, alone becoming friends with, a muggle-born witch was ludicrous. His prejudices, after all, were well known in the wizarding world. 

"Actually, you mother was a half-blood," Malfoy said, responding to Harry's comment about the likelihood of a business relationship between the death eater and his mother, "A fact your aunt among others seems to have forgotten. Her mother was a Slytherin who fell in love with a muggle. Fortunately David Evans had a somewhat more enlightened attitude to our kind in comparison with the average muggle." For some unidentifiable reason Harry felt that for once Lucius Malfoy was telling the truth, at least with regards to his mother's parentage even if for nothing else. 

"Then why was I told she was muggle-born?" Harry asked, letting curiosity get the better of him. 

"She grew up in the muggle world. So everyone assumed she was a mudblood," the blond commented dryly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

Harry began to phrase a question in reply, but was unable to say the question as he found himself the victim of a stunner, "We don't have time to talk," he heard someone say. Snape had returned from collecting Harry's belongings, "We're taking too long as it is, but then I had to find your secret stash. I was surprised that you had enough sense to hide your valuables from those muggles," he said this in a tone which made Harry think the compliment was actually an insult to his intelligence. He turned his attention to Lucius, "I trust you have the portkey," he asked. 

"Of course, Severus," the blond man said, digging a quill out of a pocket. Both men walked over to Harry and jammed it into Harry's hand, making sure that all three of them were touching the portkey. It took about a minute before Harry felt the familiar tug of the portkey pulling its passengers to their destination. The last thing Harry remembered before it activated was a fierce burning pain in his scar. He didn't see the flash of bright light that marked the dismantling of the wards but the other two men did. They both, for differing reasons, breathed a sigh of relief glad that their plan had worked and that, yet again, Harry Potter had escaped the clutches of Lord Voldemort. 

**

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**


	2. Arrival

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

SPOILER WARNINg: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 25th March 2003   
Revised Version Posted 22nd June 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 1: ARRIVAL 

Harry caught only a brief glimpse of the port key's destination, but the marble hallway he saw was sufficient to tell him that he was most probably going to Malfoy Manor not Hogwarts or Voldemort's hideout. The brevity of this glimpse was due to the deep trance he fell into the moment he arrived, so whilst his body was conveyed along with the portkey, his mind remained at Privet Drive for all but a few seconds. 

Thus it was a very confused Harry that found himself watching the whole of Privet Drive from the safety of behind number three's hedge. It wasn't until later that he realised what exactly had happened, and why exactly he found himself in next-door's garden, released from the stunner and with Snape and Malfoy nowhere in sight. Initially he put down it down to some long overdue good luck. That was until he noticed the tall, serpentine figure of Lord Voldemort striding along Privet Drive, wand in hand, presumably towards number four. Harry was surprised to see that he was without a retinue of Death Eaters, except for the skulking Wormtail, who Harry guessed never left his master's side. Unsurprisingly he didn't bother to knock, blowing the door in instead, just as Harry remembered him doing all those years previously during the attack that killed his parents. Harry followed the Dark Lord, and his servant, into the home of the Dursleys, pulled towards him by some magical force that made Harry realise he was having a vision. 

"Where is he?" Voldemort hissed distastefully as he strode into the living room. Dudley, who had been watching television, was the only person in the room, presumably because Vernon and Petunia were in the garden, taking advantage of the sunshine. Dudley took one look at the intruder and tried to hide behind the chair, screaming, something Harry hadn't thought possible after his cousin's voice had broken several years previously. It looked as if he was far too scared too answer, a fact that soon became apparent to dark lord, who roared, "Answer me," in a particularly nasty tone of voice that caused both Wormtail and Dudley to cower even more. 

"He's gone," Harry's cousin stammered, quaking in fear as what little courage he possessed left him, "A man came for him." 

Voldemort's expression immediately became darker and more murderous, causing Dudley to shake even more, "Who?" his tone just as murderous as it was previously. 

"I didn't see," the fat boy stuttered, crouching lower behind the armchair, trying in vain to ensure that no part of his body was visible to the murderous monster that stood before him. 

"Perhaps you want a little reminder," an evil grin graced the dark lord's lips as he cast the Cruciatus Curse on the fat muggle, causing him to scream out in pain. Harry grimaced in pain too. He felt the curse through his scar connection. 

"Stop!" the shrill voice of Aunt Petunia rang out from the kitchen doorway, she sounded nearly hysterical. Voldemort didn't drop the curse, but merely looked towards Petunia as she spoke, "He was a man, with long greasy black hair and black eyes." she described, although she looked scared it didn't show in her voice. 

If it was possible the dark lord's expression got even angrier, "Snape," he hissed. It was clear that Voldemort did not like the Potions Master. He dropped the curse and Dudley's screams died. The muggle didn't have any relief, though, as the dark lord immediately cast another curse. Harry was disturbed, yet unsurprised to see the dark lord's mood brighten slightly as a familiar green light emerged from Voldemort's wand accompanied by another scream of terror from Dudley. The light hit Dudley on his left side, causing him to stop quivering, for the first time since he had seen the dark lord, and fall silent. He was dead, an expression of pure terror etched on his face. There was a moment of silence. 

"Dudley!" a voice screamed loudly from the kitchen doorway. A hysterical Aunt Petunia and an enraged Uncle Vernon stood side by side glaring daggers at the dark lord, the man's gun trained on the monster that had killed their son. Their expressions of fear had been replaced by those of hate and anger. 

"What have you done to my son, freak?" Aunt Petunia screeched loudly, she seemed to be close to tears, yet at the same time filled with a hatred that Harry had never seen before. 

"That useless lump," Voldemort sneered. Harry was disturbed to notice that for once he and the dark lord agreed on something, "I killed him." 

There was a momentary pause followed by a shriek of fury. Aunt Petunia's emotions had fought a bitter battle played at across her face, resulting in her fierce hatred from her son's murderer suppressing the tears that had been threatening to flow. This shriek, however, was accompanied by the stupidest thing she could have done; she charged, intending to attack Lord Voldemort physically. Despite the dark lord's shock that someone would dare attack him, she didn't stand a chance. Voldemort didn't even need to lift his wand, as Petunia ran straight into the path of the three gunshots, that her husband had fired at his son's murderer, after he had forced him out of his hate filled reverie by his wife's shriek of rage. The giraffe-like woman shuddered three times as each bullet hit her in the chest before falling to the floor dying instantly. The third shot had got her directly through the heart. It was a complete accident. 

"Petunia," Uncle Vernon cried, running to the body at a speed that Harry was surprised his uncle could manage. He crouched down by his wife's dead body and started to cry, great heaving sobs mourning the death of his beloved wife. Something stirred within Harry, for the first time he felt sorry for Vernon Dursley, sorry for the death of his wife and son. Even if he'd never actually liked them, they didn't deserve to die. But most of all he was sorry that it was his unwanted intrusion in Vernon's life that had caused this. He felt incredibly guilty standing there, watching him cry over the death of his beloved wife and son, especially when he was the root cause of it all. Vernon didn't cry for long though, for once again Lord Voldemort said those fateful words that caused a burst of green light to erupt from his wand, killing the target instantly. Harry consoled himself with the thought that Uncle Vernon didn't even know what had happened. 

"Pitiful," Voldemort sneered before disapparating. It was a comment that only managed to enrage Harry further. Wormtail shot the dark mark into the sky before following his master. 

* * *

Harry woke up to find himself lying in a large four-poster bed with emerald green curtains. Both Snape and Malfoy were standing by the bed, their usual sneers absent. Harry even swore that he even saw a hint of concern in Lucius' eyes. 

"What happened?" Malfoy asked. It was clear from his tone of voice that he knew Harry had experienced a vision. 

The raven-haired boy debated for a few seconds about whether to tell them the truth. He trusted Snape. Even if the potions master didn't actually like Harry, his past record showed that he didn't actually want him to come to harm. It was Lucius' presence that confused him, he knew that Malfoy had indeed been trying to save him from the dark lord, that was obvious, but he didn't know why. One thing was certain, he didn't trust him or believe his supposed reason for helping him. "He killed them. Dudley first, then Petunia, then Vernon," he replied deciding to tell the truth, both men had tried to help him so he owed it to them, "He found out that Snape was behind my rescue, but he doesn't even know that anyone else was involved." 

"Good, everything went as planned," Malfoy remarked, his face expressionless. He could still detect the hint of concern in the blond's eyes, something that confused him, after all he had no reason to be concerned, the plan had worked and Voldemort did not even suspect that he was involved in his rescue. 

"I suppose the death of my family was part of the plan," he said bitterly pushing aside the mysteries that preoccupied him, "I may not have liked them, but they didn't deserve to die." 

"The death of your relatives was not part of the plan, Potter," Snape scolded, his sneer returning to is face as he spoke, "But it was to be expected, the dark lord would not pass up the opportunity to kill them." 

"You knew it was going to happen," Harry yelled, letting his dislike for his potions professor get the better of him. It was an accusation, not a question, "You could have saved them." 

"Use your brains, Potter," Snape sneered. He was using his normal classroom tone, the one designed to make you feel as though you were stupid, "Can you imagine a muggle willingly use a portkey, your relatives in particular? Even if we had wanted to take them they wouldn't have come." 

Harry had to admit that he did have a point. They Dursleys would be as willingly to accompany him into the magical world, as he would be willing to enter the dark lord's lair, even if it would have saved their life. But, still he could have removed them by force. It wouldn't be that difficult, requiring only a few simple spells. He was about to argue this point, but Lucius Malfoy spoke first. 

"Even if we had rescued them, they couldn't come here. The wards wouldn't allow them in, they're muggles." 

It wasn't the conclusiveness of this argument that made Harry drop the matter; they could have after all enchanted the portkey to take them to a different destination. It was the recognition that there were more practical matters to discuss induced by the realisation that he didn't actually know where 'here' was. He thought it was most probably Malfoy Manor, but he didn't know for certain. Then there was the issue of where exactly he was going to stay. Dumbledore wouldn't let him stay with the Malfoys, and if Snape left him with Lucius, he would just owl the headmaster and tell him. He knew he'd be removed instantly, and placed elsewhere. 

"Where are we then?" he asked, finally getting out of the bed he had awoken in. 

"Malfoy Manor," Lucius replied firmly, "You will be staying here for the rest of the summer, this is your room." 

He had been expecting Lucius to say that, but even so to hear him actually say it was depressing. It only confirmed how bad his current plight was. He knew he couldn't remain at Malfoy Manor, he would most likely end up dead, seriously injured or at worst a mindless zombie, either willingly or not, in the dark lord's service. Even if this promise did exist and Lucius actually obeyed the promise, however unlikely this was, and did not turn Harry over to his master, he knew that the Malfoys would try to convert Harry to the dark side at all costs. Not only would it guarantee his favour with the dark lord, but they had also probably deluded themselves into thinking that it was the only way Harry could survive. 

"Does Professor Dumbledore know this?" he asked, the answer to this was obvious, but still it had to be asked. 

"No," Snape replied in a tone that bore no argument, "And you are not to tell him, there is a spy among the Order. As long as the headmaster knows where you are you are not safe." 

"Safe from who?" Harry sneered. He thought the potions master's argument was ridiculous he wasn't safe wherever he went and if anything he was more at risk at Malfoy Manor. Just because he trusted Snape it didn't mean he would follow his orders without question, "I don't call living with a death eater safe. What's to stop him from handing me over to Voldemort the moment you turn your back?" 

"My life," Lucius commented, responding to the question he had directed at Snape, "If the dark lord found out I was hiding you, my life would be forfeit. And if I brought you to him he would be most interested in how you came into my care, and I am sure you would not hesitate to tell the truth, something, which would have me killed. Besides the Ministry knows you're here, both my movements and the manor are monitored as part of my parole." Harry thought over the man's argument for a few seconds. The fact he could find no flaws with the argument did not calm his fears. Perhaps he was being far too suspicious, but when it came to the Malfoy Family, Harry could never be too careful. He should have found the knowledge that the Ministry know his whereabouts comforting now that Fudge had finally admitted Voldemort's return, but then the fact they were most likely going to do nothing as a result of it was chilling in the extreme. 

"That still doesn't give me a reason to trust you. You did try to kill some of my friends just a few weeks ago." he insisted, giving Malfoy a short glare. Snape started to protest, presumably saying that he could trust his accomplice, but the blond silenced him. 

"Perfectly true," Malfoy replied, he spoke with a somewhat sweeter tone than before. It was, however, a tone that did not sound in the least bit faked, "You are wise to not be trusting, but I am willing to offer my word." 

Harry thought for a few moments, considering his position, before rejecting the offer, as insufficient. He knew he was trapped here for now, Snape and Malfoy wouldn't leave him alone until he had agreed to live with the Malfoys for the rest of the summer. He had no intention of remaining here for any length of time, but still he had to give the impression that he was willing to stay. This still meant that he would have to spend a short time in the Manor until he was rescued by Dumbledore, or he escaped, sufficient time for Lucius to harm him. Alone a simple promise wasn't sufficient; he knew that Lucius would be perfectly willing to break his word. Yet, the offer brought to mind a way of ensuring that Lucius would keep his word come what may and that Harry wouldn't be harmed, even if the worst came to the worst, and he had to remain with the Malfoy's for the whole summer. He remembered something he had read while researching the nature of Wormtail's wizarding debt towards him. Something that Ron had mentioned several times, and that he and Hermione had filed away in case it came in useful in scenarios such as his. Harry didn't even bother to consult Snape's opinion before replying. He knew the potion's master, would disagree with his proposal, saying he was being too cautious, but then he could never make Snape happy whatever he did. 

"Not good enough," he replied firmly, "I want a wizard's bond, guaranteeing that no dark witch or wizard, especially Voldemort, will harm me while I am living here, and that you will not seek to turn me to the dark side." 

"That is acceptable," Malfoy replied. He was smirking, but it was not a malicious expression, instead he seemed vaguely impressed by Harry's suggestion. Snape didn't look impressed though, if anything he looked shocked, "I trust you know the incantation." 

Harry thought for a few moments before nodding, and grabbing his wand, which had been placed on his bedside. Walking up to Lucius Malfoy, he looked him directly in the eyes, which were just as guarded and emotionless as those of his son. Together they spoke the incantation, which created the bond. Once the ritual was complete Harry felt the bond form between them, the guarantee that he would come to no harm while residing at Malfoy Manor. 

Snape still wasn't completely happy though, "There is the final matter of your appearance," he said, "We cannot have anyone discovering that Harry Potter is living at Malfoy Manor, especially considering the loyalties of the usual guests. You will have to put under disguise for the duration of the summer." 

To say that Harry wasn't happy with this proposal would have been an understatement, and not only because of the horror of looking in the mirror and seeing someone else looking back. He should have realised that a disguise would be on the cards, not only was it essential for his safety as Snape had said, but it made sure that he would actually remain at the Manor for the whole summer. After all, who would believe he was Harry Potter, if he looked like someone else. As unhappy as he was about the proposal, he knew that protesting it would be pointless. He was pretty sure they would create the disguise whether he agreed to it or not. 

"Fine, as long as it's only temporary" Harry sighed, resigned to his fate, "I don't like it, but it's not as though my opinion makes any difference," 

Snape got a vial of a potion out of his robes and handed it to Harry, who downed it instantly, trusting Snape not to poison him. Scowling at the taste, he waited for the potion to take effect before walking over to the mirror, which was on the other side of the room. 

The figure that scowled back at him looked completely different. Much to his disgust it was recognisably a Malfoy, with silky platinum blond hair, and a pale, pointed face. He didn't look exactly like Lucius and Draco though, his eyes hadn't changed, his scar was still there and the face was more rounded. Naturally, the hair was ungelled, making it fall down across the face, in a way that Harry thought looked much better than the gelled look. 

**

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**

This chapter has taken longer than it normally would to write, but then this is the fifth draft of it. The idea of using the Dursleys deaths as the starting point was inspired by Romilly McAran, whose review mentioned their deaths. I hadn't even thought of mentioning them again until then, but once I thought of writing their deaths I felt it neccesary to do so. The rest flowed from there. Some of you may have issues with my characterisations of the Dursleys, Petunia in paticular, but I do see them as being brave people. Vernon did stand up to Hagrid in book one, and although they may not love Harry they do love each other like any normal family. 

Many of you commented on the fics originality. It is based on an idea I had, about a year ago just after I had started reading HP fanfic, which incorparated Harry as Lucius' son as a minor part of broader plotline. It wasn't until I read "It's a Fact, Kid" by "Silver Wolf"(Who is on my favourite authors list), that I returned to my previous idea, incorporating the background story into a new plotline and turning the Harry as Lucius' son into the major plotline. 

Thank You all for reviewing the prologue, the response has been overwhelming, and your comments are much appreciated. I have also taken some of your comments into account and uploaded a revised version about a week ago, a big thank you goes to Nimloth and Dark Blood whose reviews created the revised version. I'm not going to do indiviual review reponses simply because there are far too many of you. 

Now, I'm sure you've guessed this but it is worth clarifying. The potion Snape gave Harry is the antidote to the potion altering Harry's appearance. So when Harry looks in the mirror at the end of the chapter he's seeing his true appearance. Naturally, Harry won't find out what the potion was for another couple of chapters. I decided to use a potion rather than a spell to alter his appearance simply because everyone (including myself in another of my fic's) uses a glamour spell in their Snape fics, and its getting rather cliche. 

Last of all, I want to plug my other fic, which features a dark(but not evil)! Harry. It's a fifth year fic, If you are interested check my authors page. 

Finally, before I get asked, this will not be Slash. In fact, I do not intend to pair Harry at all. 


	3. Escape

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 2nd April 2003   
Revised Version Posted 22nd June 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 2: ESCAPE 

Malfoy and Snape left Harry's new room soon after completing the raven-haired turned blond boy's disguise by casting a notice-me-not charm on his scar. The charm was designed to ensure that nobody noticed Harry's scar, unless they knew it was there. In practical terms it meant that only Harry, Lucius, Severus and anybody the later, who had cast the charm, told about the charm and the scar it covered could see it. Just like the potion that changed how he looked, the charm left Harry with the problem of how the hell was he going to prove that he was Harry Potter once he had escaped Malfoy Manor. After all nobody was going to believe that he was Harry Potter in disguise without some irrefutable proof, especially if he looked like someone from a family as dark as the Malfoys. He would manage though, if only because Dumbledore could summon Snape to prove that Harry was telling the truth, and that he really wasn't an evil dark wizard. To do that, however, he would have to get in contact with Dumbledore first, and the best way to do that was by letter. That way Dumbledore could come and rescue him, rather than him having to chance an escape attempt, something which if he were caught would make Lucius Malfoy extremely angry, and whilst Malfoy couldn't hurt him because of the bond, he was sure that in such circumstances the blond man would try to make his life even more of a misery than it was already. 

It wasn't until after he had written the letter that Harry realised he didn't have an owl to send it with. He assumed Hedwig had been taken to the manor owlery, or wherever the Malfoy's owls were kept, but naturally he didn't know where that was, and seeing as neither of his two captives had deigned to leave him a map, he would have to go looking for it. Of course if he happened to stumble on a means of escape while searching for the owlery, be it floo powder, a broomstick or a portkey, then so much the better, but he wasn't as if he was going to actively search for one at this stage, at least not until after his attempt to have Dumbledore rescue him had been proved unsuccessful. Harry supposed he could just walk out the front door but Lucius would probably catch him, and he didn't have any muggle money anyway, and he certainly wasn't going to try hitchhiking. Of course if the worse came to the worse Harry supposed he could survive living on the run for a few weeks, but he'd rather stay at Malfoy Manor, where at least here he'd be guaranteed food, water, clean clothes and a shower. 

Two hours later and he was still no nearer finding the owlery than when he had started. In fact he was thoroughly lost, much it seemed to the glee of the Manors many portraits. He'd actually tried asking some of them, but they'd just looked at him disdainfully, as if such a menial task as giving directions was beneath them. In fact he rather got the impression that, according to the portraits at least, he wasn't all that welcome, but then they were all dark wizards so Harry guessed they all resented for defeating Voldemort. The ghost had been somewhat more helpful, and had actually given him directions, but they'd been so long and complicated that he had soon forgotten them. That wasn't to say he was completely wasting his time, the Manor did have an air of beauty about it that not even Hogwarts possessed, but after two hours he was getting rather tired, and frustrated. He was, therefore, very grateful when he finally stumbled across a potential way out of Malfoy Manor. 

It was just after the two-hour mark that he was walking down a corridor near the entrance hall when he heard the voice of Lucius Malfoy talking to an aristocratic sounding man about a business deal. Normally he would have ignored them, he didn't recognise the other voice as belonging to one of the death eaters that had spoken after Voldemort's resurrection so he doubted that Malfoy was about to discuss the dark lord's plans, which was the only thing he would want to hear about. But when the subject of the conversation turned to Voldemort he couldn't help but listen in. 

"Yes," Lucius replied, when questioned about his 'other business dealings', the tone of voice gave away the fact he was referring to Malfoy's death eater duties. What surprised Harry though was how negative he sounded, it was almost as if he was sneering through gritted teeth, "And damn annoying it is too. I have better things to do with my time than be the plaything of a psychopath, who wants only to cause as much terror as possible. Especially when the said psychopath is angry at me for putting my interests before his," Harry was so shocked by this response that he seriously wondered whether Lucius was actually telling his true feelings, or merely saying what this man, who Harry assumed not to be a death eater, wanted to hear. Whatever the case Harry wanted to hear more so he approached the open door from which the conversation was coming from and peered inside. Lucius was sitting in an extremely comfortable office chair talking to the head of someone, who could have passed as his brother, through the fireplace. The room itself from the look of the large mahogany desk piled with papers and the various shelves and bookcases, seemed to the Malfoy patriarchs office, where he assumed all Lucius' legal business was done. 

"Well why are you a death eater then?" the other man asked, while Harry was still taking in Malfoy's office. He didn't seem to be surprised by Lucius' lack of personal loyalty to the dark lord, in fact Harry suspected that he had already known the answer, and already knew the answer to the next question too. Of course that may have been because Lucius was saying what the other man expected him to say, and not because he already knew Lucius' opinions on the matter. 

"Because he promised to do something about the mudblood problem, and because he promised to make Slytherin great again. But it was all lies, damn lies." Lucius protested with vehemence and passion that surprised Harry, he had never thought that either Malfoy could be so emotional about anything. The emotion soon dissipated as suddenly as it had come, leaving Lucius' voice as a cold sneer, "Not that a muggle-lover like you would understand." 

"You shouldn't have trusted a dark lord," the head in the fireplace scolded, "You only got what you deserved." 

"Cut the moralising, Janus," Lucius snapped angrily. Harry wasn't surprised to find that such a domineering man hated being told off and criticised, "You're a Slytherin not a Gryffindor." 

"Well if you hate him so much why don't change sides?" The man who Lucius had called Janus asked, "I know you, Lucius. You're a man of action; you form a plan and then follow it. All this sitting around and moaning is so unlike you." To Harry the prospect of Lucius Malfoy on the light side seemed ridiculous and highly disturbing. Harry knew he wasn't a nice man, and even if he weren't totally evil he had behind the plot to kill the muggle-born students by opening the chamber of secrets, something nobody on the light side, not even Snape, who wasn't a nice man either, would do. 

"I already have." Lucius replied contemptuously. He sounded slightly annoyed by the other man's assertion that he hadn't defected. "In case you've forgotten I am now officially a Ministry Spy." Malfoy's words certainly explained a lot. Harry had been wondering whether there was something more to the deal that let Malfoy escape Azkaban than what the Daily Prophet had reported, but he hadn't wanted to ask him, especially with Snape around. Of course such a position did not guarantee that Malfoy actually was on the light side, if anything it made more than probable that he had lied his way out of trouble. 

"You know what I mean." The other man growled with annoyance. Harry was pretty sure he was referring to the Order of the Phoenix. 

Harry was therefore thankful to note that the idea of Lucius as an Order member disturbed the man himself just as much as it disturbed Harry, "I am not joining a bunch of muggle-loving Gryffindors spouting moralistic claptrap," the blond man sneered haughtily, disgust clearly evident in his voice, "Besides, if Draco found out he'd lose all respect for me, he is still completely loyal to the Dark Lord, and will be so until it is too late for him. You should have seen his disappointment in me when I told him that I had agreed to spy for the ministry." Lucius' disgust disappeared from his voice as he began to talk about his son. He did not seem happy about the prospect of his son becoming a death eater, if anything he sounded distinctly unhappy with the idea, although from his words Harry knew he was resigned to the prospect of having his son bow down to the dark lord. 

The thought of his archrival as a death eater disturbed Harry, he could certainly see Malfoy becoming a death eater, but despite all the Slytherins nasty comments and other antics, he could not see Malfoy actually enjoying it. Although Harry knew Ron would protest otherwise, Malfoy was not evil, he could not see the blond taking pleasure from seeing innocent people being tortured. He could quite imagine Malfoy enjoying Harry suffering, but then Harry was his enemy and the blond would imagine it suitable revenge for all the times Harry had humiliated him. This didn't mean that Draco Malfoy wasn't completely loyal to the dark lord, he merely had a 'glorified view', if it could be called that, of what being a death eater involved. This of course led Harry to wonder where the blond had got this view. His friends perhaps? If Crabbe and Goyle senior were anything like their offspring then Harry suspected they were both completely loyal to Voldemort, and could well have indoctrinated Draco too. Of course, Lucius may have indoctrinated loyalty to Voldemort along with anti-muggle prejudice in Draco himself simply to maintain appearances among his death eater friends. He was also surprised just how much Lucius seemed to value his son's respect as well as his son's loyalty. He had never really considered Lucius as actually caring about his son, much beyond Draco's ability to carry on the Malfoy name and bloodline. But again, Lucius claimed he thought otherwise, although Harry refused to take anything Lucius said at face value, even to his friends. Harry knew he was being far too cynical, but it was better to err on the side of caution. 

Talking about caution, Harry realised that if he was going to spy on Lucius much longer he would need his invisibility cloak, as he did not want to be discovered. Besides if Malfoy had a working fireplace, which he was using to talk to people, then he was sure to have some Floo Powder somewhere in his office too. Harry rushed back to collect his invisibility cloak thanking his lucky stars that he didn't get lost, as he went to his room and back to the office. The whole trip took only a few minutes. Lucius was still talking to Janus in the fireplace when Harry returned, allowing him to tiptoe into the office under the cloak and hide in the corner. Although the conversation soon ended and Lucius got back to work, leaving a very bored Harry to wait for him to leave his office, something Malfoy seemed in no hurry to do. It did give Harry time, though, to scout out where the floo powder was kept, he didn't find out for certain, but he suspected it was in one of two pots on the ledge of the fireplace. 

Lucius finally left his office at about half past six, making sure to lock the door behind him. Although he had only spent an hour under the invisibility cloak, it had felt like an age to Harry, who eagerly removed the cloak the moment the coast was clear and strode over to the fireplace. His suspicion that the floo powder was in one of the two pots above the fireplace was confirmed the moment he checked to see the contents of the left hand one. He grabbed a pinch of the red powder inside, before carefully placing the pot back on the ledge above the fireplace and flooing off to Hogwarts, where he hoped Professor Dumbledore would be. Not that he flooed directly to Hogwarts, that was impossible, as Hogwarts wasn't connected to the floo network for security reasons. Instead he was forced to floo into Hogsmeade and trek up to the castle. He made his way directly to the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office, which even though it was the summer holiday still demanded a password, which Harry knew would most likely be the name of a sweet. It was a few minutes until the gargoyle eventually sprung open upon hearing 'Blood Pops', allowing Harry made to make his way up the winding staircase to the headmaster's office. Although, he was forced to wait outside the door when he heard various voices emanating from inside the headmaster's office. 

"I'm not taking this to the Order," he heard Dumbledore saying, "If Voldemort found out Harry would be in grave danger." 

"Unless our dirty little traitor is in this room," 'Mad-Eye' Moody growled. He could imagine both of the paranoid former auror's eyes drilling into the head of one of the other people in the meeting, the man or woman who he thought to be the traitor. 

"Alastor, everyone on this room has my complete confidence," Dumbledore sighed, sounding exasperated by his friend's paranoia, "Including Severus," 

"Then perhaps Snape should explain why Harry Potter is standing outside your office door disguised as a Malfoy, when he claims Potter is staying with some muggle friends of his." Mad-Eye snapped fiercely. 

"Ask the boy himself," Snape sneered, "Rather than just assuming I'm behind it." 

"Well come in then Harry." 

There were six people in Dumbledore's office, all sitting round Dumbledore's desk. All of them Order members that he recognised. He wondered why they meeting in Dumbledore's Office rather than at Grimmauld Place, but then Harry wondered if Dumbledore didn't want anyone to know that the meeting had taken place. It was only after Harry had resolved this problem that he realised they were all staring at him. 

"What," he asked, feeling disconcerted by way the group were looking at him, "It's my fault I look like a bloody Malfoy," he protested glaring at Snape, "He's the one who shoved the potion down my throat and cast a Notice-me-not Charm on my scar." Snape glared right back, in a manner, which would have caused most people to run away in terror, but not Harry. The implication of the glare was clear, Snape thought that Harry had been stupid to leave Malfoy Manor and was going to make sure Harry's life was made a misery in revenge for all the awkward questions that were about to come his way. The comment caused the rest of the group to break their stares, embarrassed a being caught, but only Dumbledore actually looked at Snape. 

"Then if you be so good as to remove the charm Severus," Dumbledore requested, looking gravely at his potions master. It was a look that expressed disappointment. With a grumble the potions master complied. Harry couldn't tell the difference, he could after all see the scar even with the charm, as he knew it was there, but judging by everyone else's reaction those in the meeting certainly could: as with the exception of Snape and Moody they had visibly relaxed. 

"And the disguise?" Harry asked hopefully. The charm on his scar hadn't bothered him, but he did not want to see a Malfoy every time he looked in the mirror, he'd probably have to resort to drastic measures simply to remain sane. 

"I do not have the counter potion in stock, Potter," Snape replied with a sneer, although Harry also thought he heard a hint of smugness in the Potions Master's voice. He looked back to Dumbledore hoping that the headmaster would somehow aid in the situation either by removing the disguise or by asking Snape to brew the counter potion as quickly as he could, but instead he met a pair of twinkling blue eyes that held an emotion that Harry really did not want to see. 

"No," he cried in desperation, praying to any god that was listening that the headmaster did not look as though all had just had a brainwave, and that this brainwave wasn't what he feared it was, "I am not spending my summer holidays looking like a Malfoy." He spat his worst enemies family with a passion that reflected just how much he hated the Malfoy family. 

"My dear boy," Dumbledore responded kindly trying, unsuccessfully, to placate Harry, "I am not asking you to stay at Malfoy Manor, merely to keep your disguise as a precaution against Voldemort. It's for your own safety." 

Harry sighed with frustration and annoyance. Dumbledore was right a disguise would certain make him safer, as Voldemort was looking for Harry Potter not some random young wizard. But that didn't mean it had to be this particular disguise, he was damned if he was going to spend his summer looking like a Malfoy, he'd rather have spent his summer with the Dursleys, "At least change my disguise," he pleaded, "I don't want to look like a Malfoy all summer." 

"Normally I would agree to your request but in this situation your current disguise would be the most useful." Dumbledore replied, sounding somewhat sympathetic to Harry's plight. This sounded somewhat ominous to Harry, who was quick to ask why this was the case. It sounded as though Dumbledore intended to send back to the Malfoys. 

"After the death of your aunt you will be living with one of your mother's cousins," Dumbledore explained in response to Harry's rather strong protests, "She married a distant relative of the Malfoy Family. Your current disguise would blend in perfectly with them." Again Harry began to protest this, any relative of Lucius Malfoy was most likely to be evil, "And yes I trust them both completely." 

Harry sighed in annoyance. He trusted Dumbledore to do what the headmaster thought was in his best interest, unlike Snape who would and had only done enough to make sure Harry wasn't maimed or killed, but that didn't mean he had to like the headmasters intentions. Any relative of Lucius Malfoy sounded like someone worth avoiding, even if he was married to his mother's cousin. The problem was there was that if both Dumbledore and presumably the Ministry wanted him to go there was nothing he could do about it, especially while under disguise. After all he couldn't exactly turn up at the Weasley's asking to stay, they wouldn't recognise him and certainly wouldn't trust him, besides they were most probably at the Order Headquarters just as they had been the previous summer. A headquarters that Harry wasn't entirely sure he could find without the help of an Order member. He would just have to make the best of it. 

**

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Some of you may think that Harry yielded a bit too quickly there, especially considering how much he protested in the last chapter, but as I said in the chapter he does trust Dumbledore to do what is right in such a situation. On the other hand Gryphnwng commented on how Slytherin Harry was acting in suggesting the bond. I will politely disagree by saying that when imprisoned in the home of their enemies most Gryffindors would be extra careful too. I can understand the argument though, and if anyone else sees it that way it's because I'm a fan of Slytherin! Harry. Although I do think that Harry would do exactly the same thing in cannon. 

The Notice-me-not charm is borrowed from Midnight Blue, without permission. It was included when Spika pointed out that I didn't disguise Harry's scar in the last chapter, naturally, Dumbledore will reapply it for the next chapter as it complete's Harry's disguise. 

Harry hearing the Floo conversation was partly in reponse to H. Malfoy's review. Naturally I had to explain Lucius' character, I just didn't intend to do so this early. Obviously I haven't completely explained Lucius' motivations, but I hope this helps for now. I won't really touch the issue again until after Harry has found out about his true parentage. 

In case you're wondering Harry will return to Malfoy Manor within the next two to three chapters. It's just that he has to go and stay with his mother's cousin first, as something happens there that is key to the rest of the plot. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter One, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	4. Relatives

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 8th April 2003   
Revised Version Posted 22nd June 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 3: RELATIVES 

"If I look in the mirror and see the face of a Malfoy looking back one more time, I swear I'm going to kill myself," Harry griped one morning about a week after his arrival at the home of his new guardians, Janus and Maria Malfoy. He had been somewhat guarded at first, despite Dumbledore's constant reassurances that they could be trusted, especially after he had recognised Janus from the fireplace conversation he had overheard at Malfoy Manor. It had taken some prompting from Janus for Harry to remember that Lucius had not treated the other man like a death eater in their conversation, and that wasn't because they were expecting to be overheard. Gradually over the week though Harry had come to realise that they were neither untrustworthy nor evil, even if Janus was in frequent contact with Lucius. 

"Flawless beauty is but a rare gift, cousin mine, you would do well to appreciate it before it is lost from you for ever." An aristocratic voice drawled from the doorway in a dreamy tone. A voice that made Harry realise that not all members of his new household were good and trustworthy, for Lucas Malfoy was most definitely the spawn of Satan, although not in the kill all muggles and worship Voldemort way that the Malfoys were traditionally associated with, but in more of an arrogant conceited arch-prankster manner, that you despised and loved at the same time. In Harry's opinion he was the cross between Draco Malfoy and the Weasley Twins, with the qualities and faults of both of them. 

"I locked the door for a reason, Lucas," Harry warned, it was not an idle threat as Lucas would have been able to testify, "If you want to be able to walk tomorrow I suggest you get out of here now." Lucas walked out of the room immediately, closing the door behind him, the memories of spending virtually the whole day as a Ferret just two days previously were too fresh. Of course Lucas didn't know that Harry had help with the prank from the Weasley twins, who supplied him with a concentrated form of one of their latest ideas, Ferret Fudge. After Lucas had taken his chunk of the fudge Harry had simply force-fed the Ferret form of Lucas once an hour between breakfast and bedtime, with just one break for dinner. What worried Harry was that Lucas hadn't returned the favour to Harry during the course of the previous, which meant that he would almost certainly would be the target of a prank today, and unless Harry ate and drank nothing all day than there was nothing he could do about it. 

Harry met Lucas again ten minutes later, on his way to breakfast, as he walked past the other boy's bedroom, "Good Morning Cousin Harry. Have you learnt to appreciate physical perfection yet?" Harry rolled his eyes at the greeting. Harry's intense dislike of his new Malfoy look had been a running joke for Lucas ever since he had arrived. It took a few days for Harry to realise that Lucas wasn't just joking and that he genuinely believed the Malfoys were the most beautiful people on earth, it was a sense of arrogance and conceitedness that astounded Harry, but then he imagined that Draco Malfoy probably believed the same thing. 

"Unlike some people Lucas I am neither gay nor asexual. I only look for beauty in girls." Harry replied sternly, ignoring the pleasantries. Lucas was someone who could only be tolerated in small doses, while in a good mood, rather like the Weasley twins in one of their more mischievous moods. And whilst he wasn't as bad in the mornings as Ron, Harry was most certainly no morning person either, so was most definitely not in the mood to deal with Lucas so soon after getting up. Of course it was just his luck that Lucas was at his most hyperactive in the mornings. 

Lucas stuck his nose in the air before replying in a snobbish voice, "I am a Malfoy," he sneered, "Malfoys are not homosexual." If he hadn't sounded so much like Draco Malfoy Harry would have laughed. 

"Then why do you keep trying walking in on me while I'm naked in the shower?" Harry asked pointedly. It was a habit, which annoyed Harry immensely and had begun the taunts about Lucas' sexuality. In fact Harry and Lucas had had the exact same conversation at the same time for the last three days running. 

"I appreciate works of great beauty, Harry," Lucas responded, his tone that of a tortured artist, "I know only of one other person who has a body as exquisite as the one you are currently disguised as. It will be a great loss to the world when Harry Potter adopts his usual form." 

The first time Lucas had said that Harry had wanted to bash himself on the forehead for missing the blatantly obvious. It wasn't boys that Lucas was sexual attracted to, it was himself and anyone who looked at all like him, "Of course you think I'm beautiful, my disguise makes us look like identical twins you conceited git," he retorted. Having said that they weren't totally identical, there were slight differences in their facial features, Harry's eyes were slightly bigger, and his face slightly more pointed. Lucas was also an inch taller, and wasn't quite as skinny, but it was enough to make Lucas' friends have a hard time telling the two apart. In the end Harry had resorted to having to tell them about the Notice-me-not charm covering his scar so they could tell him and Lucas apart. 

Janus and Maria were already eating breakfast when they entered the dinning room, the former reading a copy of the Daily Prophet while doing so. After a round of good morning's were exchanged, both boys launched hungrily into their breakfasts, Harry, unwisely, ignoring any concerns about being on the receiving end of a prank. 

It wasn't until Harry had some of the egg that he began shrinking extremely rapidly until he was just two inches high. He only stayed at this height for ten minutes, but even so it was still a surreal experience to see everything around you looking a thousand times bigger than you are, and an incredibly scary one too. One thing he didn't want to be repeated was being picked up in Lucas' hand, whilst he was perfectly used to being in the air, having a giant Malfoy peer at you as if you were some sort of curiosity was not a pleasant experience, especially when the said Malfoy was commenting on how cute you were in the sort of voice he would talk to babies. Determined not to make a show of himself he just sat there first on his chair and then on Lucas' hand dazed by the surrealism of the situation, not even reacting when Lucas spent a few minutes prodding him trying, unsuccessfully, to get Harry to react and say something in what was likely to be a very high-pitched voice. Just moments before Harry grew back, Lucas placed the Gryffindor on the floor and watched as Harry shot up at an amazing rate. Still in a daze from what had just happened Harry managed to bump his head painfully on the edge of the table as he was getting up again. 

His cry in pain revealed the second and, in Harry's opinion, worst element of the prank. Instead of his normal voice, Harry's exclamation came out in the same of aristocratic drawl that Lucas, Draco and their fathers spoke in. Naturally Harry did not enjoy sounding like his archenemy, and was quick to protest the point, "You bastard!" the voice that was coming from him yelled, "Change my voice back immediately. I am not spending the rest of the day sounding like a bloody Malfoy." 

"The rest of the day, dear cousin?" an amused Lucas responded in a questioning tone, "The voice changing potion lasts for a full forty-eight hours, and the counter-potion takes a week to brew." A triumphant smirk appeared on his face; it was the sort of expression that made Harry want to bash his face in. 

Harry restrained himself though, responding with a glare, and a heartfelt, "I hate you." before getting on with his breakfast, leaving his offending egg well alone just to be on the safe side. Harry was very surprised to find that Lucas didn't attempt to break the silence and tease him or generally annoy him, as he was so fond of doing. Not that he wasn't thankful for the respite, it did give him time to think up some retorts for the inevitable jokes about the pranks, as well as time to think of a comeback. But then looking over at his second cousin, Harry saw that he was too busy eating breakfast to talk. 

The rest of the morning was uneventful; Harry beat Lucas in a seekers only Quidditch match yet again. Lucas didn't really mind, although he still refused to admit that Harry was the better seeker, his ego came in the way of that. Lunch, however, was more interesting although not because of the food. Janus came back home for lunch, as seemed to be his standard routine, accompanied by Lucius, who had turned out to be Janus' brother. Harry had been surprised and alarmed to learn of the exact nature of the two men's 'distant relationship' two days previously, but by then he had learnt to trust Janus and his reassurances that Lucius would not do anything against his brother or his brother's family, of which Harry was officially part. Harry didn't feel bitter at Dumbledore for lying, if the headmaster had told the truth Harry would have protested against his new guardians a lot more than he actually had, and most probably ran away too, a course of action that was extremely dangerous what with Voldemort after him. 

Not that staying with Janus was any safer as Lucius soon testified, "The dark lord has found out that Harry is currently living here, he intends to attack tonight." The death eater intoned solemnly. There was a silence before Harry spoke. 

"Not again," he yelled, frustrated at Voldemort's dogged pursuit of him, "Why just he won't he leave me alone?" It was a rhetorical question, so he was surprised when he received an answer. 

"Because of the prophecy you destroyed during your visit to the Department of Mysteries and the fact that he believes you to be the son of James Potter," Lucius explained calmly, unaffected by Harry's outburst. 

"I already knew that." Harry snapped coldly, his temper had been aggravated by the news of Voldemort's attack, and certainly wasn't helped by Lucius Malfoy talking down to him about something he knew already. 

"I would hope so to," he replied before getting back to the topic in hand, especially as Lucas seemed to be somewhat angry, "I only found out about the attack an hour ago, the dark lord is not stupid. He knows that if he told me I would warn you. I came here as soon as I could." 

"It took you an hour to find father and get here?" Lucas snapped. Harry knew that Lucas disliked Lucius and Draco at the best of times, but he was likely to be far more hostile to his uncle having just found out his family was Voldemort's latest target, Lucius was a death eater after all. 

"No, it took him five minutes to find me, fifty minutes to plan your survival and five minutes to get here." Janus responded in a stern tone, designed to reprimand Lucas for his outburst. 

Harry perked up at hearing mention of plan that might allow them to escape Voldemort, he was dreading the prospect of someone else, especially anymore of his relatives dieing because of him, he wouldn't be able to live down the guilt, "What is this plan?" he asked hopefully. He wasn't feeling quite so good once he had heard it, not if two people, especially Lucas and Janus, had to sacrifice their lives for him. 

"I'm not going to be sacrificing my life for you," Janus responded harshly, "He's going to kill me anyway when I refuse to join him. Your presence here makes no difference he would have come after me and tried to kill me eventually, that fact you're here makes it sooner rather than later." Harry was shocked by how accepting he was of his fate, the fact he would most probably die that evening didn't seem to bother him one bit. It was a manner, which bore no argument, not that it worked on Lucius, who argued back anyway. 

"It would be much easier if you joined the dark lord, Janus," Lucius propositioned sneeringly, "then this whole argument would be avoided, and I wouldn't have a dead brother on my hands." 

The hardness in Janus' cold grey eyes spoke volumes about the likelihood of that proposition, "To join that monster would betray everything I stand for," he spoke confidently and determinedly. It is a tone that made his previous tone look weak, "And that is one thing I refuse to do. They call me The Malfoy Muggle-Lover Lucius, it is a name I live by and it is a name I will die by. You can laugh all you want Lucius, but you and I both know it is a legacy that will live on, in the hearts of our children because it's the future. Voldemort is your last stand, against the tide, against the Healer, against your own son. Soon you and petty prejudices will be no more part of Slytherin than they are part of Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. It is a legacy I am prepared to sacrifice my life for. When Voldemort kills me he will be sealing his own fate." There was a moment of silence before Lucius spoke. 

"You overestimate your importance, Janus," Lucius retorted. They had been staring into each other's eyes throughout Janus' speech, the staring constant continued through Lucius' reply, "Your death will serve nothing, and as for the Healer nowhere does it say that he has to be a muggle-lover." 

"Come on Lucius," Janus responded fiercely, "Be practical. We both know who the Healer is, what his views are, and how unlikely they are to change." 

"People change," Lucius replied not really believing what he was saying. Janus picked up on this too by merely raising a questioning eyebrow. The death eater sighed in frustration and broke the staring contest. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to, he had clearly lost the argument, even if he refused to admit it. Not that the signal of defeat helped any, he was thoroughly confused by what they were arguing about, and who this Healer was and why he was so significant. The mystery was deepened further when Lucius looked directly at Harry, an inscrutable look on his face, as though he were assessing him, before sweeping from the room, robes billowing behind him. 

Harry spent the rest of Lunch trying to talk Lucas out of sacrificing himself during the forthcoming attack. He wasn't even going to try and persuade Janus to live; the man was set on martyrdom, although Harry wasn't quite sure what he was a martyr for. Whatever happened, he knew Janus would not die because of him, although that probably wouldn't prevent any feelings of guilt occurring after the event occurred. 

Much to Harry's surprise, Lucas was just as insistent as father about the need to sacrifice himself. He openly admitted that he was going to do so specifically for Harry, although the Gryffindor wasn't quite sure why he deserved such a sacrifice, and he didn't find Lucas' arguments all that convincing. The main reason seemed to be because they were second cousins, and therefore it was his duty to sacrifice himself as Harry was vital to the war effort and far too important to lose, yet he couldn't come up with any precise reasons why he was so vital besides his role as the Boy-Who-Lived, which Harry regarded as symbolic and pretty much irrelevant to the argument. After all, his actual defeats of Voldemort were due to a hell of a lot of good luck and his mother's sacrifice. Even so nothing could dissuade Lucas from his role in the plan, much to Harry's annoyance. 

Between her son's stubborn insistence and her husband's determination Harry felt quite sorry for Maria. No woman deserved to have her son and husband die in front of her, but despite that she didn't seem to be taking the prospect too badly, whilst she certainly didn't look happy, she didn't look unhappy either. In fact she seemed resigned to the prospect, making Harry wonder if the plan had been discussed beforehand. 

Harry was just plain worried about the prospect of having to face Voldemort yet again, and experiencing the awful reality of seeing someone else die when he survived. He still hadn't totally dealt with the guilt of seeing Cedric and the Dursley's die because of him, so he was dreading the prospect of adding Lucas to the deaths he had indirectly caused. All this, however, was outweighed by a bigger concern, deep down he knew that something momentous was going to happen that night, he didn't know what, but with Voldemort involved it was not going to something pleasant. 

**

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**

An incredibly frustrating chapter to write. Mainly because of Lucas, Who I found surprisingly difficult to write for a secondary OC, who appears in only a couple of chapters, if only for the temptation to turn him into a mega Gary-Stu and make him a transfer student (He attends Beauxbatons, as he didn't want to go to the same school as Draco). I resisted though and now promise that none of them will appear in more than three chapters, although they will be mentioned a fair bit. I've got no plans to add any more OCs into the fic, except for a DADA teacher. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter two, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	5. Deaths

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 28th April 2003   
Revised Version Posted 22nd June 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 4: DEATHS 

"He's here," Janus said just before midnight. There was no hint of fear in the voice, even though he fully expected to die within the next hour. Instead he spoke with determination and anticipation. He held himself with a confidence that was infectious, destroying the nerves and fear that Harry would otherwise have felt. 

Janus' prediction was soon proved to be true, when Harry heard a large explosion, which he assumed correctly to be Voldemort making his way through the front door. It seemed like only a few seconds later when Voldemort strode into the living room, where Janus, Maria and Harry were waiting for him. Lucas was nowhere to be seen, but then Harry hadn't seen him since dinner. Harry was torn between hoping his annoying second cousin had run off to save himself, and was waiting in hiding so that their plan could work. He would probably be able to survive without Lucas' intervention, but only if the other boy stayed out of sight. 

The dark lord was accompanied by a retinue of a dozen masked death eaters, which Harry was sure did not include Lucius Malfoy. He suspected that these followers were not here to cast any spells, instead they were to be witnesses to the death of Harry Potter, or at least what they thought was going to be the death of Harry Potter, or at least so they thought, and he and Janus weren't going to deny them. But boy were they going to get a surprise when he turned up at Hogwarts alive and well on September first, without his disguise. 

"Where is he?" Voldemort hissed, his beady crimson eyes scanning the room for any sign of Harry Potter. It was clear that he could not see through Harry's disguise, and therefore assumed that the child in the room was Lucas Malfoy. All Harry had to do was not show any evidence of his scar, which considering how fiercely it was burning, was easier said than done. For all his faults the dark lord was not stupid, if he saw the child in the room clutching his forehead in agony then he was clearly going to realise something was amiss. Then there was also the possibility of his scar starting to bleed, which had happened before, although hot when he was facing Voldemort in person. Even so there was nothing he could do to prevent that possibility except cross his fingers and hope. 

"Where is who?" Janus responded feigning ignorance, everyone in the room knew perfectly well who 'he' was, Janus was simply buying time. The blond haired man had stood up the moment Voldemort had entered the room and started glaring at him, as if looking for a confrontation. The dark lord showed no reaction, but Harry was pretty sure that his victims didn't usually react to him such a manner, normally they were afraid of him, and what he was about to do. Neither Janus nor Harry showed any such fear, although they both felt it. Instead they showed only two identical looks of determination, if Maria hadn't known otherwise she would have sworn that the boy was Janus' son. Having said that she knew perfectly well whose son Harry was, even if the boy himself hadn't been told, at least not yet. 

"Harry Potter," Voldemort sneered, for once not bothering to disguise how much he hated the boy who had escaped him three times. It was a tone that no being could match for its sheer hatred and the darkness that it possessed. It was a tone that certainly intimidated Maria, and would have intimidated Janus too if he hadn't so focused on hating Voldemort. As for Harry a combination of his hate for Voldemort and his natural bravery prevented him from being affected by Voldemort's obvious abhorrence for him. 

"He's not here," Janus lied expertly, "He went to visit his friends," Harry was slightly concerned by this second part of the sentence, he did not want Voldemort to send death eaters after the Weasley's or after Hermione, in case they killed his friends after finding he wasn't there. But on the other hand he knew Janus couldn't lie outright and say that he hadn't been here at all, Voldemort would know that they were lying and then start searching for him, which would ruin their plan. 

"Then we shall wait for him," Voldemort sneered in reply, saying it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Unless you could bring him for me, Malfoy." The dark lord's sneer turned into a suggestive smirk, as he turned his attention to recruiting Janus. Lucius' younger brother was not impressed. 

"The only thing I am ever going to give you is your death, Voldemort." Janus sneered harshly, his tone far icier than anything Snape could ever hope to manage. It certainly sent shivers up Harry's spine. 

"Brave words from a man that betrayed his family by joining the light side," Voldemort sneered, not impressed by Janus' show of defiance, "A betrayal that will end up with your death, at the hands of your supposed allies. You are a Malfoy, a pureblood, and a strong and powerful wizard. You have much to be proud of, yet you persist in dragging the Malfoy name down through your muggle loving ways. You belong with us, on the dark side as a dark wizard, not a weak pathetic light wizard destined to lose to your own brother. It's your choice, I can offer you the power that is your birthright, the glory that the Malfoy name deserves and the safety you so desperately want. Join me Janus, you won't regret it." 

Just as Janus' defiance had had no effect on Voldemort, so Voldemort's recruiting effort had no effect on the Malfoy. In fact Harry doubted that he even paid any attention to Voldemort's words, and even if he did, he wouldn't have given them any consideration. 

"I have not betrayed my family Voldemort, I am no more loyal to the light side than my boy here," he said harshly, choosing his words carefully, so as to avoid lying while still trying to give the false impression that he was not on the light side, "I am loyal only to Slytherin, and to the healing of Slytherin. I seek to build a Slytherin house that Salazar could be proud of, that the other houses can respect and regard as their equal. I am the Malfoy muggle-lover, a man who seeks the redemption of Slytherin and the purging of all evil from the serpents den, who seeks the destruction of the reason behind the hatred for the greatest of the Hogwarts houses: You." His speech had got more and more passionate as he went, culminating in a his spitting out the last word in a manner that could have rivalled Voldemort for spite, "You are the reason why Slytherin is synonymous with evil, death and destruction, and whilst you are still alive Slytherin cannot be great again." 

His speech didn't affect Harry that much, but then the sixth year was a Gryfindor not a Slytherin, and didn't really care that much about the rival house. It had clearly affected Voldemort though, who looked somewhat annoyed by the accusations that he was responsible for the disrespect and hatred that was directed towards Slytherin. 

"Do not blame the weakness and inferiority of others on me. I am right, Slytherin is right, the other houses are wrong. Muggles and mudbloods are an inferior, corrupting influence. They are nothing more than the dirt on the hems of my robes, an irritant that deserves to be purged from the glory of wizarding society. We must not let them control our lives, to destroy our livelihoods and our culture. Only by destroying them will Slytherin survive. Only by joining me can you stop the destruction of the wizarding world." 

"The only thing that I could achieve by joining you is the betrayal of everything I stand for," Janus responded his tone even harsher and virulent than before, "The betrayal of everything Salazar stood for, and the betrayal of everything the Healer stands for. I am not a traitor, I will not betray my own family by turning my back on the beliefs of the healer, just as I do not openly oppose my own brother." Janus' references to the healer seemed to annoy Voldemort even more. It soon became clear why. 

"I am the heir of Slytherin and the healer. I will be the one to make Slytherin great again." The dark lord boasted snidely. It was a boast that generated a triumphant smirk from Janus, it was the sort of expression that Lucas wore just after he had played a prank or won an argument. He'd also seen the expression on Draco Malfoy once or twice and it always made him want to punch the blond. 

"Perhaps you should read the Legends again, Tom Riddle," Janus retorted, his tone of voice matching his facial expression, "It says that the healer is an outsider, who rejected Slytherin because it was the house of his mortal enemy, destruction. The healer is a Gryffindor, Riddle. You were always a Slytherin." 

"You're wrong," Voldemort hissed darkly, pointing his wand at Janus. That last comment and the manner in which Janus had said it had obviously caused the dark lord to lose his temper and snap, "I am the healer, your rightful master. Serve me or die." 

Janus remained unbowed by the death threat, "You will never win Voldemort, and I will never join you. I chose only to follow the healer, even if it causes my death," he said, resuming his earlier harsh, angry tone of voice. His face was a picture of determination, determination that echoed in his voice. 

"Death it is then," Voldemort sneered, a wicked smile etched on his face. Beneath the sneer Harry could detect Voldmort's anticipation at the fact he was about to kill someone. It was obvious and quite frankly it made Harry feel sick. It also had the effect of increasing Harry's determination to have someone, anyone, defeat the dark lord once and for all, "Avada Kedarva." 

A flash of green light emerged from the dark lord's wand. It was the same colour that haunted Harry's nightmares, and as in the nightmares, it was fatal. At least Janus had died instantly, without showing any fear. His determination to become a martyr would be forever etched on his face, the final emotion that he showed. In Harry's mind the lack of fear was a small triumph over Voldemort, a sign that not everyone was affected by the dark lord's intimidation. He hoped it would be a lesson for far more people. Not that it was much consolation for Harry, who was severely affected by seeing Janus die in front of his own eyes. He knew it was only survivor's guilt but that didn't affect his emotions. The manner of the death and the enjoyment that the killer derived from it made things ten times worse for Harry; Voldemort's evil laughter was another regular feature of his nightmares. 

Such thoughts and reminders of past nightmares were quickly put out of his mind by the sight of a raven-haired boy with emerald green eyes and a lightening bolt scar running into the room, looking extremely worried. Neither he nor Voldemort had heard the desperate cry that the boy had emitted when he had seen the deadly green light heading towards Janus. It was certainly a heartfelt cry, and seemed to be filled with shock and pain, but then it was the boy's father that was being killed, or at least that was the plan. Harry had no way of verifying whether it was Lucas under the disguise, but it would have taken an astoundingly good actor to fake such an emotional response, and there was no way anyone other than one of Janus' family could have responded to the Slytherin's death in such a manner. 

"Ah, Potter," Voldemort sneered upon noticing the newcomer, "How good of you to grace us with your presence." He was completely fooled by the disguise, but then it was extremely convincing, and apparently the result of a potion brewed by Professor Snape. Even the voice had been changed to exactly the same tone as Harry's voice. The only possible problem with the disguised Harry was if Lucas' acting skills failed him, and that was extremely unlikely considering how good an actor the young Malfoy was and badly Voldemort know Harry. Ron and Hermione would probably see through the disguise and possibly his dorm mates and some of the teachers too, but certainly not the death eaters. 

"I wish I could say the same thing about you, Voldemort," The false Harry snapped in reply, "But only the insane or the weak would willingly go anywhere near you, which explains why you only have one loyal follower. After all you can't get much weaker than Wormtail." It was a tone of voice that the real Harry would have used himself, but then it couldn't have been that difficult for Lucas to fake it; Harry's second cousin had been on the receiving end of a milder form of the expression for virtually the whole of the past week. Harry didn't hate Lucas, but he certainly found the boy just as annoying as death eater supporting cousin. 

"My death eaters are all utterly loyal, Potter, even Lucius." The dark lord snapped a little too quickly. The impostor's comments seemed to have struck a chord with Voldemort, who most probably agreed with the sentiments even if he wouldn't admit it in front of his enemies, or at least in front of enemies that were most likely to survive the night, like he and Maria. 

"They're not loyal Voldemort, they're scared of being caught. You're not their hero Voldemort, Snape is: the man who betrayed you and lived." the impostor sneered. His comments had managed to rile Voldemort, whose hatred for Snape was greater than his hatred for Harry. 

"They may be cowards," the dark lord sneered, fixing a pointed glare on his followers. The clearest indication yet that he was dissatisfied with the death eaters, "But they still serve me loyally, that is all that matters." The impostor said nothing, but grinned in response, taunting Voldemort with the things he knew about Malfoy that the dark lord didn't. Lucas knew Lucius' true feelings about Voldemort, mainly through overhearing the conversations the blond man had with Lucas' father. 

"They weren't particularly loyal after I defeated you the first time were they?" Harry replied, still taunting the dark lord with his taunting grin, "And they'll be just as disloyal after I defeat you for the second time." Harry winced internally at the comment, it was not the sort of thing he would say, it was too arrogant. It was just as well that the death eaters didn't know any better. 

Voldemort laughed derisively, "Look," he mocked confidently addressing his death eaters, who soon joined their master's sniggering, "A fifteen year old boy thinks he can defeat the great Lord Voldemort. Let him try," He turned his attention back to the boy who was standing in front of him, glaring at the dark lord with all the venom he could muster, "I challenge you to another duel and this time you're wand won't save you." 

"Only if you promise not to kill Lucas and Maria," the impostor responded. They all knew that Voldemort wouldn't pay any attention to the promise if he truly wanted to kill Maria or the boy he thought was Lucas, but still it was in character and it would make both Harry, Maria and Lucas feel better. 

"Agreed," Voldemort replied, his smirk suggested something. Harry wasn't sure what, but it certainly didn't encourage Harry at all. In fact his tone and the fact he hadn't even looked at the two people he was promising to keep alive suggested he didn't care about what he was saying, "Now bow." 

Lucas bowed slightly causing Voldemort to smirk even more, "Much better than last time, Potter," he drawled before adopting the duelling position himself and performing a short count down to mark the start of the duel. He didn't bow to Lucas. 

Voldemort didn't waste much time in casting a Cruciatus curse at the disguised Lucas, which the Malfoy took stoically by refusing to show any pain or scream, in exactly the same manner as Harry himself. For once Harry was glad of his second cousin's overblown sense of pride and even bigger ego because it ensured that he didn't have to watch one of his relatives writhing about, screaming in pain. The experience was bad enough as it is without witnessing yet more evidence of the dark lord's sadistic streak. 

"Avada Kedarva," The dark lord yelled, a few minutes later, after lifting the pain curse. A familiar green light emerged from his wand, accompanied by Voldemort's undisguised glee at the act of killing Harry Potter. 

"Dracohen Na Kakunnan," The false Harry yelled at the same time as Voldemort cast the killing curse. The spell seemed to have no visible effect and didn't seem to affect the path or the result of the killing curse at all. Even so Harry could tell something happened when the curse struck it's intended target, the power flow that was given off were phenomenal even if it didn't seem to affect anybody in the room. Deep down Harry knew that something important had happened, even if the world believed Harry Potter was dead. 

"His father did the same thing. Pathetic really," Voldemort commented scornfully before disapparating. He didn't bother disguising the glee he felt at what he thought to be the death of Harry Potter, a glee that made Harry sick. He wouldn't have felt the same thing about the death of Voldemort. 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

I'm glad you all like Lucas, I put a lot of effort into creating his character. I am not changing the plot because of your pleas though. Although I do have several surprises up my sleeve with regards to Janus and Lucas, more will be revealed in the next few chapters. I also spotted a major plot hole in my outline the other day, and will be using Lucas to resolve it. As a consequence he will be mentionned a lot more than I previously planned. 

While talking about Plot holes, Tempest in Blue spotted something I didn't want you to spot in chapter two. Namely, _if it took Harry 2 hours to chance upon finding Malfoy's office, and he was lost at the time, how was it that he was able to find his way back to his room and them back to the office again in only a matter of miniutes?_ I spent several agonising over this before posting the chapter, but I couldn't find anyway around it so I claim artistic licence. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter three, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	6. Arguments

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 26th May 2003   
Revised Version Posted 22nd June 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 5: ARGUMENTS 

About eight hours and several annoying ministry officials later a fuming Harry found himself back at the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor, after being placed in the temporary custody of Narcissa Malfoy. The major part of his anger was directed towards Maria Malfoy, who had done a disappearing act sometime in the hour between when Harry had left his mother's cousin to grieve for her son and husband while he got help and the said help arriving to survey the crime scene. The rest was directed towards Professor Dumbledore who for some inexplicable reason had failed to recognise Harry under his disguise and had assumed that Harry was in fact Lucas Malfoy. Harry understood the confusion, after all he did look and sound like a Malfoy, except for his scar which was covered by a disguise that the headmaster had cast himself. Even so it didn't abate his anger at the headmaster, as the old man should have known better. In the end Harry stopped protesting about his identity and pretended to be Lucas, which of course left him with the unpleasant task of telling the headmaster that Harry Potter was dead. The headmaster appeared extremely grave upon hearing the 'news' of Harry's death, weariness and sadness replaced the ever-present twinkle in the headmaster's eyes. He looked old and tired, far older than anybody could possibly be. He'd recovered pretty quickly though, although the old man's humour didn't return, and escorted Harry to the ministry where he faced a barrage of questions and interviews that lasted several hours. It was only then, after the law enforcement authorities had finished with him that he learned about Maria's disappearance and the temporary stay at Malfoy Manor that followed as a consequence. He hadn't been impressed, and had not bothered to hide his displeasure at this. Of course the fact there was absolutely nothing that Harry could do about this just made things worse, but without another option he had choice but to accept the situation. 

And if all that wasn't enough meeting Lucius Malfoy merely brought back the horrific memories of the night before and the two further deaths that he had caused. Of course his mind told him that both men had wanted and accepted their fates and that one of them would have been killed by Voldemort sooner or later anyway. Then there was Sirius and the Dursleys, yet more deaths that he had been partially responsible for, but had been too busy or too distracted by Lucas to deal with properly. Having said that he had talked them through with Janus, who had been a great help in convincing him that Sirius' death was not his fault, but he hadn't fully finished convincing Harry that he was not responsible for the Dursley's death. 

Harry didn't say anything to Lucius as the blond death eater walked into the Ministry holding room where Harry had been waiting, nor did he say anything when Lucius greeted Harry politely and led him to the ministry fireplaces so they could floo back to Malfoy Manor, two dangerous looking Security guards flanking Lucius throughout his time at the Ministry. Instead he simply glared at the man until they arrived in Malfoy Manor, where Harry spoke. 

"What do you want with me?" he yelled accusingly the moment they were alone. There was no small measure of desperation and anger in his voice as well, "What is so important about me that means you have to murder your own family to get to me? Why can't you just leave me alone?" 

Lucius didn't even pay any attention to the last question, as the accusation in Harry's second question had riled him far too much. Malfoy's did not harm or betray each other, even if they found themselves on opposing sides of a war as Damien and Mikhael Malfoy did in the 1500's. 

"I did not murder my own brother!" Lucius roared angrily, incensed by the accusation, "I would never harm a member of my own family." 

"No of course not, you got Voldemort and I to do your dirty work for you" Harry sneered coldly. Whilst Lucius' temper intimidated a lot of people Harry was not one of them, "Wouldn't want to get caught would you." 

"Janus died because he was an obstinate fool," Lucius snapped as the blond man lost his composure, "He refused to join the dark lord and died as a consequence. There was nothing I could have done about it." 

"You had plenty of time to arrange our escape," Harry argued in response, directing the large amount of guilt he felt for Janus' and especially Lucas' death at Lucius, "Besides what about Lucas? He needn't have died." 

"We had no choice!" Lucius snarled viciously, trying his best not to lash out at Harry for daring to argue with him, "The dark lord was after your blood and wouldn't stop until he had killed you. We had to fake your death or he would have killed more innocent people in the effort to get you." 

"And since when have you, a snivelling little death eater, cared about whether I live or die?" Harry sneered coldly, ignoring the insinuation that if they had escaped more innocent people would have been killed. He couldn't of course deny the fact that Voldemort was or had been obsessed with killing him, but he was pretty confidant he could have survived a summer of Voldemort pursuing him without getting everyone around him killed, he and Maria had survived the attack after all. Besides in Harry's opinion a summer of watching his back for a crazed dark lord was infinitely better than a summer at Malfoy Manor with the Malfoy family for company. 

"Since the moment you were born you ungrateful brat!" Lucius shouted forcefully, exasperated by the boy's unwillingness to back down. His heir, Draco, knew better than to force an argument when his father was angry, but Harry obviously hadn't learnt that yet, "I promised to do everything in my power to keep you alive, and I intend to keep that promise whether you like it or not." 

"Don't lie Malfoy," Harry spat bitterly, spitting the family name as if it were some kind of deadly poison, "You couldn't keep a promise unless your life or your fortune depended on it." 

Smack! Lucius had finally lost control and hit Harry hard in the face, causing the Gryffindor to glare at Malfoy even more fiercely. The blond could only tolerate insults to his honour so far and Harry had just stepped over the line, "I may be a Slytherin and a dark wizard, boy," Lucius hissed vehemently, "But I am no promise breaker. I am an honourable man and do not break the promises I make." Harry scoffed at this, the idea of a honourable Malfoy was ridiculous; he was far too Slytherin. 

"A goldfish would be more honourable than you are, you pathetic death eater," Harry snapped, the angry fire in his eyes blazing even fiercer than ever, "You lost all your honour the moment you joined Voldemort." 

"Perhaps you should follow your mother's example, boy," Lucius replied harshly, glaring fiercely at the younger man, "She trusted me to keep a promise and so should you." 

"Keep my mother out of this," Harry hissed, outraged by the older man's gal in bringing the boy-who-lived's mother into the situation, "You know perfectly well that she wouldn't go anyway near the likes of you." 

"Then explain how on earth I can conduct an affair with a woman who won't go near me," Lucius roared, just as angry as before. Harry stared at Lucius in stunned silence, shocked not by the viciousness of the tone but by the words he had just heard. His anger was momentarily forgotten as he tried fruitlessly to process this new revelation, the one that destroyed the perfect image of his perfect parents. Needless to say he refused to believe a word the death eater said, and not just because he didn't like what he was hearing. 

"Don't you dare insult my mother like that, Malfoy," Harry hissed even more fiercely than before, whilst the tone of voice had no effect on Lucius Malfoy, who was used to the far darker moods from Lord Voldemort, it still would have caused many people to flinch. 

"I'm not, you insolent brat, you're the one insulting me and your own mother by suggesting that two ministry co-workers can't have an affair." Lucius yelled in reply. He wasn't all that bothered about Harry insulting Lilly, any feelings he had for the woman were long gone, he just didn't like the principle of someone insulting their parents, especially if the said parent was dead. It didn't rest easily with his sense of family loyalty. 

"Then stop making such ridiculous claims about you and my mother," Harry screamed. The fact he was disturbed and upset by these claims showed itself in his increased anger, "She wouldn't have touched you if you were the last man left on earth." 

"Fine," Lucas sneered, not amused by the hysterical antics of his illegitimate son, "I'll prove it to you." 

The angry patriarch summoned a house elf and asked it to bring a photo album to him. The elf reappeared moments later clutching a green and silver photo album with the Malfoy crest emblazed on the front. Taking the album from the house elf without thanking the creature Lucius flicked through it until he came to a photo about a third of the way through the album and handed it to Harry. It was of Lucius and Lilly kissing on a fine summers day while having a picnic. Harry looked at the photo before meeting Lucius' cold emotionless, eyes an expression of horror on his face. He dropped the album and ran out of desperate denial, searching for somewhere he wouldn't encounter his mother's former lover. 

A slightly calmer Harry stopped running about half an hour later, when he reached a forest towards the edge of the Malfoy estate. The run had relaxed him slightly allowing him to think rationally about the situation and process what he had heard and seen, of course that he didn't mean he liked it. Deciding he was sufficiently far away for him not to be disturbed he sat under the shade of a tree, and began to think everything through. 

His peace wasn't to be though, as he was soon disturbed by one of the last people he wanted to see: Draco Malfoy. 

"Who are you?" The blond boy sneered as he approached Harry; it was clear from his expression that the disguise did not fool him, making Harry wonder whether he had overheard the argument in the entrance hall. Even so Harry thought it was worth maintaining the pretence of being Lucas in front of the Malfoy heir for a while longer. 

"Good Morning Cousin Draco," Harry drawling cheerily, putting on his best Lucas impression, "Although it appears that the Malfoy perfection has escaped you this morning. A pity as I was looking forward to encountering someone almost as perfect as myself." Of course the words made Harry sick, the Malfoy family was the epitome evil and far from perfect, but it was the sort of thing that Lucas would say. 

Draco smirked before responding, "It is you that is the imperfect one, although you make a fair impression to the contrary," He drawled. Harry fixed him with a mock glare, again because it was what Lucas would have done, "Whilst you would fool many people, it is clear to me that you are neither a Malfoy nor my cousin." 

"How dare you make such an outrageous accusation! Of course I'm a Malfoy!" Harry shouted, feigning the anger that Lucas would have made at such a comment. As for Harry the comment had merely enflamed the sinking feeling that he had been feeling ever since Lucius had shown him the photo, and he'd read the date it had been taken: August 12 1979, just a few months before he must have been conceived. Of course he desperately hoped he wasn't a Malfoy, but he was afraid that he was as a lot of evidence pointed that way. 

"Then explain the argument you had with my father in the entrance hall." Draco queried with a taunting smirk, "Lucas would never refer to my father as Malfoy, nor would father have an affair with Aunt Maria." 

Harry sighed, dropping the pretence of being Lucas, although he certainly wasn't going to tell Malfoy who he really was, "I have no need to explain myself to a conceited, arrogant wannabe death eater such as you, especially when the explanation would involve revealing my true identity." he said fiercely, glaring at the blond. 

Malfoy glared straight back, the anger and annoyance hiding the curiosity that was desperately trying to work out the boy was, a task that wasn't easy when the boy was disguised in both body and voice as his cousin. But then he realised something, the boy wasn't disguised as his cousin, sure they could have passed for identical twins, but the boy in front of him was subtlety different in a way that only a Malfoy would be able to perceive. To an outsider all Malfoys looked identical, but Draco knew otherwise, you just had to know where to look. The difference was in the eyes, and in height. Lucas was slightly taller than Draco and even when he was sitting down it was clear this boy was not. The there were the eyes, which were the give-away. Whilst they and the same colour as those of his cousin, they were also unique and instantly recognisable as those of Harry Potter, his worst enemy and the boy who had turned him down during his first year. Draco smirked, thinking that having Potter coming to live at Malfoy Manor was adequate revenge, even if it would mean putting up with Gryffindor's golden boy for the rest of the summer. 

"Potter," he sneered coldly before breaking into a vicious smirk, "Or is it Malfoy? Although I hope it is the former, as you would be a disgrace to the family." Whilst he felt slightly guilty for insulting his family, it was certainly worth it when he saw the flash of pain and hurt in his eyes before it was covered up with a mask of anger. 

"As if I would want to be a Malfoy," Harry spat in response, showing far more venom then he had used against Lucius, "I'm not a spineless self-important pompous prejudiced ass who worships a psychopathic mass murderer." 

Draco's cold grey eyes clouded over with anger upon hearing the insult to his family and his future master. The Malfoys were noble purebloods of the highest order, the crème of wizardry, and as such were certainly not spineless nor pompous, they had no need to be. Malfoy's were powerful, well bred and Slytherins, who respected the powerful and those who recognised the inferiority of muggles and mudbloods, as well the dangers they held for the wizarding world. 

"Watch your words, Potter," Malfoy hissed, his tone of voice betraying the fact that he had nearly lost control of his anger, "You might just be talking about yourself." 

Harry didn't hesitate to respond, sounding somewhat more confidant than he actually felt, "I don't care who or what my father is, Malfoy. I am and will always be nothing like you or your death eater for a father. I am ten times better then you and all other dark wizards." 

"Brave words from a brainless Gryffindor with a death wish," Malfoy sneered in response, his voice returning to its previous cold and taunting nature, "I gave you the choice, Potter and you chose the losing side. You should be praying that you're a Malfoy; it's your only chance of survival. You wouldn't want to end up like your precious godfather would you." 

Just as at the end of his fourth year, Harry's control snapped upon Malfoy mentioning a victim of Voldemort. Hearing the blond mention his godfather's name brought forth all the resentment he the anger towards the blond for his arrogant behaviour and for his allegiance towards Voldemort. He didn't waste any time in jumping off and firing off a jelly-legs curse. Of course without extra help it didn't knock anybody unconscious, but it still felt good. 

He didn't remain unaided for long, however as Harry saw some one dart out of the forest out of the corner of his eye, shocking him so much that he didn't even try to dodge the tickling charm that had been sent his way in time. The last person he expected to turn up to Malfoy Manor was Remus Lupin. Through the charm induced hysterics Harry he saw the newcomer disarm Malfoy and cast a strong banishing charm on the Slytherin, before removing the curse on Harry. 

"You OK?" Harry's former professor asked, sounding slightly concerned about his ex-pupil. 

"Yes, although I would be better if he weren't here," Harry replied gesturing dismissively towards his worst enemy, "But seriously what are you doing here?" Harry asked, matching the werewolf's worry, "Couldn't Malfoy get you prosecuted for trespassing?" 

"I'm here on Ministry business," Remus answered with a shake of his head. He looked over at Harry, and frowned at the depressed look on the boy's face, "What's the matter? You don't look particularly happy." 

"Neither would you if you'd just been through what I have in the past twelve hours," Harry snapped in response. It was an automatic reaction to the awful events of the past few hours as well as the remnants of his anger that resulted from his argument with Lucius. Instantly realising what he had done, he apologised for letting his temper get the better of him yet again, "It's just that I'm having a bad day that's all and I don't want to top it off by having you thrown into Azkaban." 

Remus smiled sympathetically, cheering up the boy up slightly in the process, "I won't, trust me. Besides, Dumbledore asked me to apologise for the way he treated you earlier, we can't be too careful, with the spy and everything." 

"I suppose I don't exactly look or sound like myself at the moment," Harry commented sadly. His Malfoy look and voice was annoying greatly, even though he'd only had the latter for twenty-four hours. 

"It doesn't matter to me. You're still Harry Potter where it counts." Harry smiled weakly at the reassurance; there was however a slight nervous edge to the smile deriving from his fear that he was not a Potter. Whilst he no longer wanted to a replica of his father, he most certainly didn't want to be a Malfoy either. His lack of reaction didn't go unnoticed by Remus, who commented on it and asked what the problem was. 

"Nothing," Harry responded a little too quickly. He was met by a sharp glare that made him feel somewhat guilty for hiding his problems from his mother's friend. He began to explain his argument with Lucius, theorising that Remus had a right to know about his mother's supposed infidelity. 

**

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**

The origin of the 'Dracohen Na Kakunnan' spell is important later in the plot. In this fic James used it when he died, to great effect. However, it was not the cause of the rebounding killing curse, which was an entirely seperate phenomenon 

MJ also asked why Harry and the others didn't just escape. I know Lucius gives some basic reasons in the chapter, but I want to go into a bit more detail. Firstly, Janus didn't want to escape, he wanted a confrontation and martyrdom, to show Harry and the world that not all Malfoys (or people from other dark families) are evil. The fact that this also provided a good mechanism for introducing the Healer Legend was also an issue. As for the others, Lucius and Janus agreed that the only way to keep Harry safe was to fake his death. Of course having Harry and Lucas swap places also means that Harry is sent to Malfoy Manor to live with Lucius, which further increases his safety (In their eyes) and allows Harry to get to know the Malfoys 'good' sides. As such Maria's disapearance was part of the plan, even if Harrry knew nothing of it beforehand. I hope I've addressed MJ's other concerns in this chapter, although I do want to add that Harry won't figure out that he is the Healer in the legends until he starts to take an interest in healing the rift between Slytherin and the rest of the school. At the moment he's simply not interested in what he sees as internal Slytherin business. 

Finally I ought to explain that Dumbledore knows about the wizard bond cast in Chapter One, and feels that with its protection (it still holds even though Harry escaped), and the disguise he is safe from harm and won't be turned. Of course this doesn't explain why Dumbledore failed to acknowledge Harry as Harry at the beginning of this chapter, security is one reason but there is another which won't be explained for a long time yet. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter four, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	7. Running

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 9th June 2003   
Revised Version Posted 22nd June 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 6: RUNNING 

"Malfoy!" Remus cried out of disbelief once Harry had finished explaining what he heard learnt from Lucius, "Lilly had an affair with Lucius Malfoy!" Harry thought that Remus had taken the news surprisingly well, whilst he was a lot calmer than the rather hot-headed Sirius, they were talking about one of the werewolf's best friends, but then Harry wondered whether maybe the older man was in shock. 

Truthfully, Remus was in shock but not for the reasons that Harry would have thought. He was trying to get his head around the fact that Lilly's son was a Malfoy, a concept that was as improbable as it was horrible especially when the boy's personality was taken into account. He'd always known that Harry wasn't James', he and Lilly had hardly been on speaking terms, let alone likely to be making babies between the explosive argument of Good Friday 1979 that nearly destroyed their relationship and March 1980, when James had finally remembered why exactly he had loved Lilly so much in the first place. He broke out of his reverie when he noticed Harry was looking at him with concern, presumably waiting for a reaction. 

Remus smiled slightly at his friend's son, reassuring him that he was still sane and bore no grudges against Harry as a result of the news, "I'm not angry, just shocked. I mean you a Malfoy…" He didn't get to finish the sentence as he was interrupted by a strangled cry from Harry, who had not missed his inference that Malfoy not James was his father. Remus reached out to comfort the boy, as he had promised Sirius he would in such times. The boy's parentage didn't matter, as far as he was concerned the only thing that mattered was that he was Lilly's son, the boy that had kept one of his best friends sane during many a long night in Azkaban. 

Harry meanwhile had gone into shock; unwelcome thoughts flinging around inside his skull, the moment Remus had uttered the word 'Malfoy'. The first and foremost thought had been one of denial, that the werewolf must have been mistaken. He was not evil and nothing like the Malfoys, besides why would Remus know that he was a bastard child, when his own father (James Potter, he would never call a dark wizard father, especially one as evil as Malfoy) didn't know. All of which led to exactly why Remus could had made such a ridiculous accusation, after all, he was nothing like the Malfoys. He wasn't like them and by extension couldn't be related to them. Shock and horror were turned into anger, as the man who had lied to him reached down to comfort him. Harry pushed him away, ignoring the look of hurt etched on the werewolf's face. He was too angry and too hurt to care. 

"Don't you dare try to comfort me, you lying bastard." Harry snapped angrily at the former DADA professor before getting up and walking away along the edge of the forest, "You had me fooled. I thought you loved me but it turns out you're just pretending. So why don't you clear off and go somewhere where you're wanted." 

Remus sat there for there a few moments, stunned at the angry reaction, guilt at having failed James and Lilly coursing through his veins, but above all he felt guilty for failing Sirius, for breaking the promise he had made Harry's godfather. Despair clawed at him, as tears began to flow gently down his cheeks, mourning the angry expression that Harry had sent his way. 

No! He would not let himself fall to despair, when Lilly's son needed him. Harry needed someone to talk to, to sort through his feelings and he had promised Sirius that he, Remus Lupin, would be that man. He began to stride purposefully after Harry determined to fulfil the duties Sirius had passed on to him. 

Then a thought struck and he remembered why exactly Harry had run off in the first place: Malfoy, the bastard who had taken advantage Lily when she had been depressed. It was bad enough that the death eater had been her boss at the Ministry, but to have an affair was unforgivable. Harry could wait for another time; he had bigger fish to fry. Breaking into a run, Remus headed across the grounds towards the manor intent on confronting Lucius Malfoy about what Harry had told him. 

* * *

"Leo," the aristocratic voice yelled across the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Harry stumbled slightly at the use of the fake name Janus had made for him during his time at his mother's cousin's home. Only the four of them knew of that name, as he'd never had the chance to use, not even Lucius knew of it and certainly not Draco. For that was whose voice had called him, unless it was someone else whose accent was unsurprisingly similar, despite the differing attitudes of their respective fathers. But, no, it couldn't be, Lucas Malfoy was dead he had seen him die in front of him and done nothing to stop it. Or had he? He had seen someone disguised as himself die, not Lucas. Of course he had assumed it was Lucas as that was the plan, but he had no proof. Something could have happened at the last moment to change their plans; Lucas could have swapped with someone. Hope surged through him momentarily, until it was crushed by the realisation that someone had still died pretending to be him, when it should have been him and the possibility of it being a complete stranger made the guilt ten times worse. 

Harry glanced behind him towards where the shout had come from, Draco Malfoy was slowly walking back to the Manor away from the spot where Remus had ended up banishing him to, so he wasn't the one who had spoken, but he couldn't see anyone else who could have said it either. Remus, himself, was currently racing across the grounds using all his extra werewolf speed, much to Harry's annoyance as he'd been unknowingly hoping that the werewolf cared about him enough to try and comfort him and win him back over. Even if Sirius hadn't been around much, he already missed having a father figure to fall back on. However, it seemed to Harry that his angry accusation was indeed true, disheartening Harry and increasing his anger even more. 

"Wait there, Leo," the voice shouted again from somewhere above where he had been looking. Harry looked up to see a hooded figure riding a broomstick along the edge of the forest directly towards Harry. Whoever it was - he refused to believe it was Lucas - must have been boiling hot with the cloak, even if he was flying. Harry waited, he was a Gryffindor and Gryffindor's weren't known for running away from confrontations. 

The flyer landed directly in front of Harry and took his cloak off, revealing a platinum blond haired sixth year, with a pale pointed face and vivid green eyes that were almost identical to Harry's. The newcomer soon found himself with a holly and phoenix feather wand pointed at him by an extremely irate Boy-who-lived who was convinced that the new arrival was a death eater. 

"Who are you?" Harry asked knowing the answer he would get, an answer that he believed to be a lie. 

"Surely you recognise unadulterated physical beauty when you see it dear cousin," Lucas replied with a winning smirk. There was a sadness to the boy's tone that hadn't been there the previous evening, "It takes a lot more than a dark Lord to kill someone as perfect as I." Harry had to admit that the highly conceited and extremely annoying reply without actually answering the question was typical of his second cousin, but it certainly didn't help in confirming the identity of the boy standing in front of him. 

"For once in your life answer the damn question," Harry snapped irritably, he was far too angry to put up with Lucas' games. 

"I am perfection incarnate," Lucas replied sweetly, "Although mere mortals such as yourself know me by the name of Lucas Malfoy." 

"You sick bastard," Harry roared, barely resisting the urge to hex the boy in front of him. Fortunately Draco and Remus were too far away to hear him, "How dare you impersonate a dead man. Lucas Malfoy is dead, I saw him die with my own eyes." 

"Did you? Are you sure it was me?" Lucas asked mysteriously, a moment of doubt swept across Harry's face. It was there only there for an instant, but it was long enough for Lucas to notice, "I thought not. You remember that the person who you thought was me was disguised as you, yet you have no proof it was me." 

"It was you, you said it would be you," Harry hissed, "It was part of the plan, the plan which only the Malfoys and I knew." 

"Perfection requires luck, dear cousin," Lucas replied, "In this instance it came in the form of an unknown boy disguised as yourself arrived through the fireplace and demanded that he take my place, claiming that he would be able to survive the killing curse." 

"Can't you come up with a better story then that, death eater?" Harry snapped in reply, channelling his anger towards the boy who had described what seemed to be an extremely unlikely story. 

Lucas' reply was a punch in the face, "Do not ever, ever, call me a death eater ever again," he hissed extremely fiercely, his glare stronger than any Harry had ever seen on Draco's face, "I would never bow before that pathetic creature. I am a Malfoy," he continued angrily, pompously sticking his nose in the air, "scion of the finest family in the whole of England. I will not demean myself by serving a glorified mass murderer with a grudge against his own father, especially when that man murdered my own father." Harry could tell that the anger wasn't faked, but that of course did not resolve the issue of Lucas' identity. The anger also surprised him, a death eater would not be able to fake such a reaction, while Harry hadn't seen the real Lucas angry during his stay with his second cousin, even after Harry had pulled the ferret fudge prank on him. 

"Your lies don't answer the question." Harry stated fiercely. He was thoroughly annoyed by the punch and was glaring fiercer then ever, matching the intensity of Lucas' gaze. 

"That is because I was not lying. I am Lucas Malfoy, son of the martyr Janus Malfoy and most firmly a light wizard." Lucas stated seriously, his tone as hard as diamond and cold as ice. It was a voice whose forcefulness did not beg questions or ask for responses. Harry wasn't sure whether it was the tone of voice that made him believe the boy in front of him, or the intense, ice cold look of determination and suppressed anger that was visible in his green eyes. But whichever it was, his gaze softened slightly, and he gave a startled gasp. 

"It really is you," Harry gasped, momentarily forgetting his bad mood and lowering his wand, "But how? You're supposed to be dead! Surely you can't expect me to believe the stupid story you came up with?" 

Lucas smirked at him, "Indeed I do. It is I who has the superior mental faculties and therefore has a better chance of interpreting what happened last night." 

"I suppose it was nothing to do with the fact that you were the only who knows anything about the person who pretended to be me in front of Voldemort." Harry retorted firmly. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Lucas' ego, not after being lied to and abandoned by one of his parent's best friends. 

Lucas smirk began enigmatic, "That is irrelevant, as the man who take my place gave few clues as to his identity," he said cheerily, in a tone that was obviously designed to annoy Harry. As usual it worked perfectly, "Although he did say something about being your brother." 

"But I don't have a brother." Harry replied his voice a little shaky as a rouge thought that Draco was his brother, popped into his head. This thought was quickly suppressed by angry denial. 

"There is no need to inform a Malfoy of the obvious, we are known for our intelligence," Lucas replied with a knowing smile that made Harry doubt his parentage even more, "Although I was forced to confirm that with my mother." 

"You've seen Maria?" Harry asked sounding slightly concerned. Not only was her disappearance annoying because it was the reason for his stay at Malfoy Manor, but it also had worried him. He hoped desperately that the death eaters hadn't done anything to her, "Is she alright?" 

"My mother is a Malfoy, as such she is perfect health, if a little depressed at my father's death," Lucas explained, "She is also a little concerned about how you are doing at Malfoy Manor. That's why I came here." 

"If she's so concerned about my welfare then why the hell did she disappear the moment I left to get help?" Harry asked angrily, venting his annoyance at his mother's cousin's actions, "Surely she must have known that I would end up here." 

Lucas gave another enigmatic smirk, "Of course, she is a Malfoy even if only by marriage." 

"But why then did she let me be sent here, to the home of a death eater?" Harry asked, his tone both pleading and irritated. 

"It was part of the plan," Lucas replied off-handily, his lack of concern infuriating Harry. 

"What!" Harry yelled, "Why on earth would your father agree to send me here for Lucius Malfoy to work his evil way with me? The man's a death eater, even if the ministry seem to have forgotten it!" 

Lucas remained unaffected by Harry's wrath, "You would not comprehend the thought processes of a Malfoy, they are superior to those of a Potter." 

"Malfoy superior!" Harry exclaimed with a bitter laugh, "Don't you mean more evil. Everyone knows that the Malfoys are evil." 

Smack! Lucas had punched him in the face again, "Do not ever insult my father ever again. I don't care what the rest of my family are like, but my father was a good man, a great man who died defying Voldemort. How is that evil?" he hissed angrily. Harry glared back at Lucas, annoyed at being hit; he did have to admit though that his look-alike was right in this instance. 

"He's the exception that proves the rule." Harry acknowledged grudging, his tone bitter and a little angry. He was met by another sharp glare from Lucas who clearly objected to being described as evil. 

"All pranksters are evil, especially ones as arrogant as you." He argued in response to the glare, which softened slightly at Harry's words. 

"I had at least believed that you could appreciate a well formed prank even if you could comprehend my innate superiority, but it appears such a belief was painfully misguided," Lucas stated harshly. Harry couldn't tell whether the anger was serious or not, "Pranks are no more evil than chess or exploding snap, and your failure to comprehend my attitude is not my problem." 

"Of course I understand your attitude," Harry retorted quickly, "You're a Malfoy and like the rest of your family you're an arrogant, conceited git that thinks your family is somehow superior to everyone else. A troll could work that out." 

"Comprehension of my attitude requires knowledge of the reasons why Malfoys are the greatest family in the world, even allowing our penchant for grovelling before Dark Lords." Lucas explained snobbishly. 

"And that is why I am not a Malfoy, unlike what some people have been saying," Harry stated far more confidently than he actually felt. He wasn't actually responding to Lucas' explanation but was instead trying to calm his fears about his parentage. Lucas raised an eyebrow at this, but made no comment nor did his expression change from one of calm detachment. It was a reaction that both calmed and worried Harry at the same time, tearing him between thinking that Lucas did not believe he was a Malfoy and the fear that Lucas was hiding something that was relevant to the subject. He didn't push the older boy though, he was too afraid of what he might find out. 

"It's what Remus said when I told him that my mother had an affair with Lucius." Harry explained bitterly, angry with both the werewolf for his lies and lack of concern and his mother for having the affair in the first place. 

"He's probably lying," Lucas responded, sounding a little morose at this assessment, "If you were a Malfoy you would have sought out Lucius and asked him whether the news was true by now. Instead it falls to me to suggest such a course of action." 

Harry mentally rolled his eyes at Lucas' over-high assessment of his family's capabilities. Familiarity had meant that he no longer reacted badly to such comments. He didn't respond to the suggestion; that was an open invitation for Lucas to make more egoistic remarks. Comments that he could do without in his current situation, instead he put on a brave face and turned towards Malfoy Manor and went to find the man Remus thought was his father, intent on finding the truth. Not even the distraction of Lucas' jokes and egoism could distract him from the multitude of worst case scenarios that played themselves out in his mind and played on his extreme nervousness as he trudged towards the dreadful truth that awaited him in the ancient manor house. 

**

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Surprise! Lucas' survival was part of the plan all along as he has a role to play later on. I said previously that he's only be appearing in three chapters, but for him to play his role properly he'll appear in a few more chapters yet. So. He won't appear after Harry returns to Hogwarts though. Some of you may think he's being a little too cheery for a boy whose father has just died, but he's still in shock. Remember this chapter is set just ten hours after the attack. 

I also want to make clear that the person who pretended to be Harry in chapter four is not a blood relation of Harry's even if he tells Lucas that he is Harry's brother. Not that such a description in unreasonable, for reasons which will be explained in the next few chapters. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter five, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	8. Denial

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 19th June 2003   
Revised Version Posted 22nd June 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 7: DENIAL 

Lucas led Harry through a side entrance and through the manor towards the front of the manor and Lucius' office, which was not far off the entrance hall. They had not even to check the office to tell that Lucius was not there; they could hear angry voices arguing in the entrance hall. They sneaked onward hoping to see the argument without being detected by either of the participants. When they peered around the doorway into the entrance they saw they needn't have worried about being detected. The argument was much too fierce for either Remus or Lucius to pay attention to anyone who might be watching. Indeed someone was watching; Draco was leaning casually against the frame of another door that led out of the entrance hall, looking far too interested in the argument to pay any attention to either Harry or Lucas. 

"Her husband and her best friend had betrayed her," Lucius was shouting at the werewolf, "And you expect her to trust her friends! For all she knew they were all part of the cover up." 

"That still didn't give you the right to take advantage of her," Remus responded equally loudly. Harry was somewhat surprised to see the normally calm werewolf so angry. 

"I did not take advantage of her," Malfoy sneered in reply, "She wanted someone to talk to and she chose me, because she trusted me to keep her secrets." 

"Don't lie, death eater." Remus snapped angrily, taking a threatening step towards Lucius, "Lilly hated you, she said so." 

"You think I would allow a woman who hated me to be my assistant?" Lucius asked rhetorically, seemingly unaffected Remus' threatening gesture. His tone of voice cold and bitter, "She and I were good friends. She trusted me." 

Remus glared at Lucius, his anger making him unwilling to accept the blond man's point of view, "Lilly would have rather died than willingly associate with a death eater like you, Malfoy." 

"Lilly was not a judgmental fool, who saw the mark on my left arm and branded me as evil. She saw me as I actually am and not the faceless death eater I am perceived to be." Lucius sneered in reply further incensed by Remus' comments. If there were only one thing he hated, it would be being judged by the mark branded on by the manic who he had been tricked into joining when he was a young idealistic school leaver twenty-five years previously. 

"I'm sure she did," Remus hissed viciously in reply, "but then you did put her under the Imperius curse so as you could have an affair with her." 

Smack! Lucius' already considerable rage had boiled over at this last accusation and he lashed out at the man who had dared accuse Lucius of forcing someone to have an affair with him. It was a preposterous accusation, not least because Lucius had no need to stoop that low to get a mistress; he was far too attractive for that. But also because he would never abuse a friend in such a manner, sure he stopped at nothing to destroy his enemies, but he always treated his friends properly and with respect. 

"I would never treat a friend or a lover like that," Lucius thundered as Remus responded to the punch. The two grown men were soon fighting viciously in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor. 

Draco immediately leapt forward to aid his father, but was stopped by a cry from Lucas, who had also rushed towards the two brawling adults, intent on stopping the fight. 

"Get the house elves to stop the fight," Lucas called once had had got his cousin's attention. Draco stood there shocked at the sight of the older boy, looking as if he hadn't heard the instruction. 

"Stop bloody gawping and act like a Malfoy, before your father gets seriously hurt by an angry werewolf," Lucas yelled again a few moments later, sounding thoroughly annoyed by Draco's non-action. With a brief sneer, which Harry presumed was in response to his status as a Malfoy being questioned, Draco shook himself out of his reverie and summoned a house elf as Lucas had instructed. Within a matter of seconds Lucius and Remus found themselves magically pinned to opposite cold marble walls of the manor entrance hall. 

"Let me go," Lucius snapped at the house elf who had restrained him. Surprisingly the creature didn't oblige. 

"Master Draco is telling Tibby to restrain Master Lucius, sir," the creature replied in it's squeaky voice, "Master Draco is not wanting Master Lucius to be hurt by the intruder, sir." 

"If you don't let me go the only thing that is going to get hurt around here, apart from that monster over there, is you!" Lucius snapped, glaring forcefully at the house elf, who glanced hesitantly over to Draco. The Malfoy heir looked as though he was going to side with his father, but don't get a chance to respond as he was cut off by two identical yells. 

"No," Harry shouted, at the same time as Lucas. He may have been angry with Remus for lying to him and deserting him when he needed it, but that didn't mean he wanted the werewolf to be hurt by an angry Lucius Malfoy. 

Lucius glared angrily at the direction from which the cries had come from, ready to give Harry and whoever else had spoken a tongue-lashing. The reprimand never came as it was driven out of his mind by the sight of a boy who was supposed to be have died to protect his illegitimate son. 

"You're supposed to be dead," he cried, out of shock not anger this time, "It was part of the plan, a plan you agreed to." 

"I'm a Malfoy," Lucas offered by way of explanation, accompanied by an enigmatic smile. It seemed to satisfy Draco, but not Lucius, who presumably wanted more details, "You can't plan for Harry Potter look-alikes tumbling through your fireplace when you need them, claiming to be the said Potter's brother." 

"Caranthir!" Remus gasped disbelievingly once Lucas had finished speaking. Harry and the Malfoys looked at Remus strangely as the doubt disappeared from Lucius' face, "James and Aranel had a son named Caranthir." Remus explained, "I don't know what happened to him after Aranel disappeared, but if he's anything like James it'll be him." 

"Assuming your tale is true," Lucius replied coldly, "How would this Caranthir have known about our plan, when not even Draco knew?" 

Remus shrugged his shoulders, "Probably something to do with the wood elves, both James and Aranel were half wood elfin." he replied calmly. Harry was surprised to see him talking cordially with Lucius, considering that he had been extremely angry with the death eater only moments before. It wasn't only Remus' calmness that surprised Harry though; he found the revelation that his father, James Potter, was a half-elf pretty surprising too. He hadn't even known that wood elves had existed until a few moments previously, so the thought of being related to one was strange and certainly far more appealing than the prospect of being related to the Malfoy's. He didn't comment though. 

Lucius frowned. He didn't like the explanation, but it was a likely possibility; elves of both types did have the nasty reputation of knowing everything that was going on and it would be just like the son of James Potter to sacrifice himself for Lilly's son, even if they weren't blood relations. 

"Yes," Lucius sneered, more to himself than anyone else, shooting a glare at the house elf who had both himself and Remus pinned the wall, "Elves do have a nasty habit of knowing more than they should." Harry thought of Kreacher and unconsciously nodded in silent agreement. 

There was a moment of silence, in between Lucius' mutterings and Lucas asking his uncle a question that Harry did not want to hear. He was surprised that Draco didn't ask more about the events of that night and the plan. 

"Do you think this Caranthir person knows that Harry is your son?" Lucas asked confidently, shooting a defiant grin at Harry, who glared in response, "I mean if they did know would he have tried to help us save Harry?" 

"Without having met the boy I can not tell," Lucius replied scathingly, "But I would imagine the fact that I am Harry's father would not alter his Gryffindor tendencies, as Lilly Potter is Harry's mother." 

Harry paled significantly at these words, it was one thing to hear them from Sirius and Lucas, it was totally different to hear them the man himself. 

"You are not my father!" He yelled desperately, more to convince himself of this than anyone else. Doubt and fear clawed his way forward, as old insecurities about his house placement and concerns that he was too much like Tom Riddle made themselves known. 

"As much as you attempt to disprove, I am indeed your father. Furthermore I intend to act like your father and as much as you seem to like danger, I intend to keep you safe. Unless of course you especially want yet another thing in common with Tom Riddle," Lucius replied coldly, in a tone that wasn't much warmer then that of Snape in one of his worst moods. 

Harry gulped even more as his last desperate anger was rebuffed, the hope that James Potter was his father rapidly sinking beneath the waves of despair. If both men truly were telling the truth then the choice was a horrible one, another similarity with his parents' murderer or Lucius Malfoy as a father. It was a choice he refused to accept because both options were too horrible to comprehend. It was a choice that only fuelled his desperate denial. He was beyond angry now. He was desperate, desperately hoping that the news was not true. 

"Prove it," Harry said, using the least remnants of his angry to disguise his anguish, "Prove that you are my father. I bet you can't." 

Lucius fell silent for a few moments, contemplating how best to show his unwilling son the truth. He hadn't actually thought of how to prove his true parentage to the boy yet as he hadn't been counting on having to do so quite so soon. But then he hadn't equated Lupin and the werewolf's stubbornness into the situation; of course he knew the two had been in contact, just as he knew that the werewolf was among those monitoring the manor for any sign of him leaving the grounds. It was just he had not gambled on the two of them meeting each other until he was ready to tell Harry the truth. There was of course a paternity potion, but that took far too long to brew. Showing him the secret areas, which only a Malfoy could enter, was out too and Lucius doubted Harry would accept the self-updating family tree as evidence. There was a spell to test paternity too, but that would take several hours to research and he wanted to prove his paternity to Harry immediately. Then an idea struck him, he would enchant a piece of parchment to show Harry's family tree, the spell was a complex one, but he knew it off by heart from his time as a senior archivist at the ministry. 

"Tibby," he ordered, adopting a commanding tone, "Release me from your spell and fetch me a few sheets of parchment, then go punish yourself for attacking me." The house elf complied without a word, allowing Lucius to enchant several pieces of parchment, after the small group had made its way to his office. 

"Place a drop of your blood on this parchment," Lucius ordered once they were all comfortable. He handed a sheet of the parchment that he had just finishes enchanting, "It will show you your family tree." 

Harry didn't bother to quibble; he was far too desperate and far too nervous about the results of any proof of his parentage to consider that Malfoy might be tricking him for some other purpose. Pricking a finger he let a drop of his blood fall on the parchment, which promptly did exactly as Lucius said: it drew Harry's family tree, complete with Lilly, Petunia and Lucius. 

"There has to be a mistake!" Harry yelled desperately, upon seeing the name that was in his father's place on the family tree, "You must have cast the spell wrong. It probably showed you as my father because you cast the spell or because the bond we made must have interfered with the spell. The parchment is lying. I'm not your son." Harry knew he was clutching at straws, but he really didn't care. He was desperate for something to disprove the fact that he was a Malfoy, a list of things that was getting shorter by the minute. 

"I do not make mistakes," Lucius asserted, sounding annoyed at the slight, "But if you insist on your foolish belief that I did make one, then you can try again." 

Harry did so on a second enchanted parchment, with exactly the same results as for the first time. Again he protested, "I told you that the bond is interfering with the spell," he said, "It has to be, there's no other explanation." 

"Or it could be that the spell is telling the truth," Draco snapped, before his father could reply. The Slytherin had been standing in the corner watching proceedings with an annoyed glare, "But if you want to persist in your Gryffindorishness then test the spell on someone else." 

"The spell is lying!" Harry protested desperately, "It has to be. I can't be a Malfoy. It's impossible. I'm nothing like you." 

"As much as I wish you weren't. It appears that you are, regrettably, a Malfoy, even if you refuse to act like one," Draco sneered in an almost perfect imitation of Professor Snape. 

Harry turned to face Draco and glared at him, in what was unknowingly an almost perfect imitation of Lucius' glare, "Of course I refuse to act like a Malfoy," he cried, "I'm not a conceited arrogant evil git." 

"No, you're…" Draco began, before he was cut off by an angry yell from his father, who did not want to put up with his two sons' angry bickering. 

"Boys," Lucius warned. The two children in question turned to look defiantly at their father, who gave them a patronising look in return, "We are here to discuss Harry's parentage, not to listen to your pointless bickering." He fell silent for a moment, waiting for a response that never came. Taking this as a sign of agreement, he continued, "Harry, the spell works perfectly and is telling the truth. If you refuse to believe so, I am prepared to test the spell on myself." 

Harry thought for a few moments. He wanted the spell tested but not on the three Malfoys, he didn't trust them to tell him the truth about his family. Then of course there was Remus, one of his mother's friends, who had been the first to claim that Harry was a Malfoy. Yet despite all that he trusted Remus, most probably because the werewolf didn't like the Malfoys and would probably prefer Harry to be a Potter by blood as well as name. 

"OK then," Harry replied, "We can test it, but on Remus, not you. I don't trust you." 

Lucius swept from his office towards the entrance hall, where Remus was still bound against the wall by the house elves. Harry followed to ensure that there was no foul play. For some reason Lucius seemed to want Harry to pretend to be his son, just as he wanted Harry to stay at Malfoy Manor and Harry was convinced that Lucius would do anything, even deception, to ensure that what he wanted happened, he was a Slytherin after all. 

Surprisingly Remus willingly gave his blood for the family tree creation spell without any protest, although Lucius did explain the whole scenario to him first. The fact the spell worked perfectly was no surprise though, at least not to Lucius and Remus and even if he didn't know it, Harry. The fact that Harry protested the result again was also no surprise, although it was Remus who came up with the response to his desperation this time. 

"Harry. I don't like this much either, but it's the truth. I doesn't matter who your father is or what your father is like, you are a good person, Harry and nothing is going to change that." Remus said kindly. He would have reached to comfort Harry if he could have. 

"That's all right for you to say. You don't have to live with him and the fact that he is your damn father," Harry said bitterly, indicating Lucius, before adding hurriedly, "Not that he is my father of course." 

"Harry," Remus sighed. He didn't like seeing anybody, especially the son of one of his best friends in such denial. Not that he blamed him, he certainly wouldn't like to be a Malfoy, "I know that Malfoy is evil, but that doesn't you are just because you're his son. You're the son of Lilly Potter, remember, and no son of Lilly could ever be evil, she was far too kind." 

Harry sighed, cursing his godfather for bringing his mother into the equation and destroying the main plank of his argument against the fact that he was a Malfoy. Having said that the thought that his mother's generous nature prevented from acting like an evil Malfoy was oddly comforting, "But that doesn't mean I have to want to be a Malfoy, as you all seem to expect of me," he argued fiercely. As the barrier of his denial broke down, anger welled up inside him at the unfairness of the situation. 

"Of course not," Remus replied, sounding slightly offended by the idea, "If you wanted to be a Malfoy I would have you sent to St. Mungo's. I know that Malfoy is evil, just as much as you do. It's just you deserve to know the truth, warts and all. I know the truth hurts, it usually does, but in the long run lies hurt even more." 

Harry desperately tried to find a flaw in the werewolf's logic, or at least a tiny glimmer of hope that he truly was James Potter's son. He found none. His desperation turned to anger, anger at his mother for creating the situation, anger at the Malfoy's, anger at James Potter for not being his father and above all anger at the unfairness of the situation he now found himself in. He looked around for someone to take his anger out on but Malfoy had disappeared, he stalked off to confront the man. As much as he disliked having to see the death eater, he needed the whole story and Lucius Malfoy, the man who was his biological father, was the only man who gives it to him. 

**

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Caranthir is indeed the boy who pretended to be Harry in chapter four. Of course there are questions as to how some who Harry has supposedly never met, pull off the act he did. The answer is simple though, he's a Hogwarts student albeit under a different name. The names 'Caranthir' and 'Aranel' are both elvish, and come from and http:/e and happened to like the name) 

Phoebe, yes the chapters are short, but they're not that short (3000 words a chapter). Besides I'm sure you're willing to sacrifice chapter length for regular updates. Not that it's an issue as I have no intention of writing longer chapters, it reduce the time I have to spend on my other fic. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter six, your reviews were most appreciated, even if Fanfiction.net isn't showing them on the review page. I do still have copies of them though. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	9. Partings

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 13th July 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 8: PARTINGS 

Lucius was once again to be found in his office, although this time it appeared from what he could hear that he had the company of a complaining Draco. Lucas may have been there too, but Harry could not see him as the office door was closed. 

"But Father he's Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, the reason you went to Azkaban," Draco was protesting, spitting his enemy's name with venom. He did not need to hear the reply to imagine the strict gaze that Lucius was giving his son. 

"Harry was no more the cause of my imprisonment than your Aunt Bella and I don't see you blaming her. It was the dark lord who is ultimately responsible," The Malfoy patriarch replied, his voice clearly confirming Harry's idea of his facial expression. 

"How can you say that?" Draco exclaimed, sounding in equal measure horrified and indignant. "You can't blame a failed mission on our master. You were in the right, loyally serving him for a just and noble cause, when you were captured by the enemy. They are the ones to blame, not our own side." 

If anything was going to rile Harry's already volatile temper then calling the death eaters a just and noble cause was going to be it. He didn't hesitate to open the door and storm in, ignoring the annoyed look that Lucius had sent his way for interrupting his conversation. Draco looked momentarily shocked, before he covered his surprise up with a mask of defiance. Lucas, Harry noted vaguely, was standing in the corner looking very angry. 

"Just and noble!" Harry roared, "There is nothing just and noble about Voldemort. He's a nasty, evil, cold-blooded mass-murderer who killed your own uncle and your mother's cousin. Do you think he actually cares about your stupid prejudices?" He paused for a breath, half expecting a reply from Draco. He was only slightly disappointed when one came. 

"Of course he does," Draco drawled defensively, "It's his stated aim to rid the world of mudbloods and muggles." He didn't even notice the expression on his father's face, which clearly said that Draco was repeating what Lucius believed to be lies; both Harry and Lucas did though. 

"You really think so?" Harry queried angrily, leaning into Draco so as to intimidate him and some how pulling it off even though he was shorter than his rival, "You really think that Voldemort gives a damn about who he kills. You really think that Voldemort cares for something other than domination and destruction. You really think that Voldemort is something other than a poor abused halfblooded Orphan looking for revenge? Well do you?" 

Draco was beginning to look a little flustered as Harry took another step forward before he could reply, disturbing the Malfoy heir's look of cold defiance. Of course part of this lack of composure may have been through the surprise of having Harry actually to intimidate his rival, normally the Gryffindor would have hexed him by now. But then Malfoy never usually said things, which Harry perceived to be so outrageous. Harry wasn't just angry for himself but for all the victims too. 

"Yes I do," Draco said slight shakily, defiance clear in his voice, "I think you're lying. I think you're scared, Potter. You're scared because you know the dark lord will win, that he'll kill you and your precious mudblood. You're going to end up just like your worthless mudblood mother and you know it…" 

Smack! 

"Draco!" Harry had punched the Malfoy heir in retaliation at exactly the same time as Lucius called out his son's name as an angry warning. Neither had taken kindly to the Slytherin insulting Lilly Potter. 

"Do not ever insult my mother ever again, Malfoy," Harry hissed, as he followed up his punch with another right hook. He had barely heard Lucius' warning to Draco and had paid even less attention to it. The fact he felt no surprise about ending up in a full body-bind was totally unrelated, he expected Lucius to stand up for his son, especially considering that, in Harry's opinion, Draco had never really provided any evidence that he could stand up for himself without the help of others. What he didn't expect though was to be ignored after being placed in the body-bind and hear Lucius turn his wrath on Draco not Harry. 

"I have taught you better than to speak ill of the dead, Draco," Lucius scolded, with a firm slap to his son's cheek. 

"But she was a mudblood," Draco protested, sounding as if Lilly Potter's supposed heritage made her subhuman. Whilst that comment would not have led Harry to attack his rival it certainly angered him greatly. Lucius wasn't particularly impressed either. 

"Lilly was not a mudblood!" Lucius roared. He seemed to take the insult personally. Harry presumed because this was because he would never have slept with his mother if she had been muggle-born. "She was a loyal, kind and intelligent witch not some common mudblood whore!" From what Harry could see from his position on the floor, Draco had been extremely surprised by the vehemence of his father's response, but then he had probably been unaware of Lilly Potter's true ancestry. 

"But Theodore said…" Draco began to protest snobbily. Harry wasn't particularly surprised to see the Malfoy heir arguing with his father; he'd seen it before just before second year, but many of his year mates would be; Draco's idolatry of his father was well known around Hogwarts. What Harry was surprised to hear, however, was for the blond to back up his arguments with something one of his friends had told him. Harry was not alone in thinking that Draco treated everything his father told him as fact without question. 

The protest didn't last long as it was cut off by a fierce glare from his father. "Are you saying that you trust the words of the Nott boy more than my own?" Lucius asked forcefully, a slight sneer audible in his icy tone. It also caused Draco to cringe slightly; it seemed his comments had seriously angered his father. 

Harry wouldn't be affected though, the same intensity of the glare and the same cold voice were regular features of the way Professor Snape treated Harry both in and out of potions classes. As such he was used to it, but it clearly seemed that Draco wasn't, but then the Malfoy heir normally tried everything within his powers to stay on his father's good side; in Draco's eyes the consequences of failing to do so were not good. 

"No father," Draco replied huffily, taking care to appear apologetic enough to appease with his father, without sounding submissive. Whilst he believed his father he almost certainly didn't want to and was in no way repentant in trying to bring Nott's information into the conversation. It was only a small defiance, but it didn't dare push his luck, especially when his father was in such a bad mood. 

Fortunately the ruse work and Lucius did not detect the defiance, causing his gaze to soften slightly and make Draco relax and feel more confidant. It also allowed Draco's fierce hatred for Harry to surface and in particular his disgust for Harry's presence at Malfoy Manor. "You can't let him stay here, father," Draco protested petulantly, a hint of anger and hatred evident in his voice, "He's Harry Potter." He spoke Harry's name as if it was a dirty mark on his best robes: annoying but not particularly dangerous. The bratty voice, which he was using, only increased the effect. Not that Harry cared, to his mind Draco sounded remarkably like a cross between Dudley and Aunt Petunia. 

"He is my son, your half-brother and a Malfoy," Lucius snapped, his glare hardening. Both Harry and Draco had to fight down a grimace when they were informed of their fraternal relationship and made an unspoken pact to never acknowledge it, even between themselves. 

"But father," Draco protested indignantly, "He's Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, the dark lord's greatest enemy and you call him your son. How could you? He's a Gryffindor, a muggle-lover, the enemy…" 

"And my son." Lucius interrupted sternly, turning his full glare upon Draco, "He may be misguided in his beliefs but that does not change his ancestry and his parentage. I have taught you better than to put your petty concerns before your loyalty to the family." 

This had the effect of making Draco look positively furious, a sight which Harry found immensely satisfying, if a little worrying. Even though it sounded petty, Harry enjoyed the sight of the unhappy Draco being chastised by the father he so adored and responding with anger and disillusionment rather than with brooding acceptance or small-minded bickering. It seemed that the petty and vindictive brat-prince of Slytherin was finally growing up and starting to think for himself. Unfortunately it also looked apparent that the Malfoy heir was destined to become the impossible - someone who was more radical and more evil than his father. But then Lucius Malfoy was giving the impression that he was nicer than Harry had previously believed him to be. Of course 'nicer' was a relative term with Lucius in the same way that the death eaters were 'nicer' than Voldemort even if both were utterly evil. Whether this new-found pleasantness was an act, the result of his arrest and brief sojourn in Azkaban or an indication that Lucius had an ulterior motive fir Harry was a moot point, but it looked increasingly like it was the latter, after all Draco certainly believed the attitude to be real and he would know his father better than nearly everyone. Harry discounted the second as unlikely, after all twelve years in Azkaban hadn't changed Bellatrix Lestrange and the other escaped death eaters. 

"Petty concerns!" Draco spluttered, sounding as livid as he looked. "There is nothing petty about the greatest and most powerful wizard alive and his glorious mission to rid the world of muggle filth." 

Harry didn't know whether to be disgusted, angry or amused by the comments of his school rival. Whilst the description of the dark lord's mission engendered the first two emotions, he could only shake his head in resigned amusement and mild disgust at the falsity of Draco's other descriptions of Voldemort. He eventually chose disgust, if only because Lucius Malfoy responded to his son's words with anger and amusement. 

"There are greater wizards alive than the dark lord, Draco." Lucius responded, "Severus Snape and I are two of them." 

The look on Draco's face that resulted from these words was a picture. Shock, horror, disbelief and anger mingled together to create an expression, which would have had Harry laughing if it weren't for the body-bind Lucius had placed on him. Harry fully expected Draco to respond, except that the blond didn't because he was too shocked to speak 

"As for his mission," Lucius continued, paying no attention to his son's expression, "There is nothing glorious about murder." 

An indignant fury swept through Harry in a fit of righteous anger, which was directed at Lucius' hypocrisy. This was the man who had tried to kill Harry's friends only a few weeks previously and who had opened the chamber of secrets in Harry's second year with the aim of killing all the muggle-borns in Hogwarts. This fit of anger, however, was redirected to Draco the moment the Slytherin started to yell his reply. 

"Snape! You honestly think the traitor is better than the dark lord." Draco yelled furiously. He sounded extremely angry, angrier than Harry had ever seen him before. But among the anger there was a sense of disappointment and betrayal, as if he were the disappointed father scolding his son. He paused as if to wait for a reply, but none come; there was no change to the inscrutable look on Lucius' face. "You have the gall to lecture me on loyalty when you betrayed the greatest wizard alive. And for what? Power? The dark lord can and has given you power beyond your wildest dreams. Money? The one thing you have more than enough of? Reputation? Only loyalty to the dark lord can restore that." 

Lucius looked a little taken aback by his son's attitude, especially the sense of betrayal that Draco displayed. It was a role reversal that Draco's father, being a domineering man, did not appreciate. For once it was not someone else's anger that riled Lucius Malfoy, nor a foiling of one of his plans, instead it was loss and disappointment as he was scolded by the son who no longer had an unwavering belief in his father. There were other emotions that fuelled the Malfoy patriarchs as well, but nothing would allow Lucius to admit their existence. Malfoys did not experience desperation and despair when they lost control of their sons to the forked tongue of the current dark lord, nor did they blame this loss on their own mistakes, after all Malfoys did not make mistakes, although they could be controlled and swayed by extremely powerful wizards. Of course the fact that Lucius had admitted to making a mistake in joining Voldemort, thus directly contradicting this second assertion, was neither here nor there in this scenario. 

"There are more important things than unwarranted loyalty to a psychotic dark lord and the promises of power, fame and money that he cannot fulfil," explained the Malfoy patriarch, his solemn tone full of weariness. "There is one loyalty that is absolute and unchangeable. One that cannot be overridden, not even by the lies and cowardice that passes for loyalty among the death eaters. Harry is family and the dark lord's greatest enemy. I cannot be loyal to both and duty requires that I chose Harry." 

"Lie as you will father, but you don't fool me," Draco sneered in reply, reverting to the tone he normally reserved just for Harry. "Potter is an excuse, you would have betrayed the dark lord anyway." 

"That is a possibility," Lucius stated casually. "I may have decided that his ministry deserved my loyalty in spite of the muggle-loving fools who infest it. Cornelius may have his faults, but he is certainly a worthwhile minister. It is a pity that he is constrained by the general ineptitude of our kind." Needless to say Harry found this description of the incompetent minister of magic extremely strange and more than a little funny. Draco seemed to agree with Harry's opinions as he snorted loudly, but was unable to say anything as Lucas, who had been listening quietly in the background, spoke first. 

"You only say that because you can manipulate him," Lucas insisted, trying to hold back a snigger. "Virtually everyone else would disagree." Lucius merely responded with a devious smirk, which more than made up for his lack of words. He wasn't going to admit it in case someone would use his words against him, but his nephew's assessment was perfectly correct. 

"The minister can change father, but the dark lord does not," Draco snapped, his angry tone disguising the fanatical nature of his words, which were making Harry feel very angry and slightly ill. "His greatness can never be diminished, even in death. He is the dark phoenix destined to cleanse the world of all those unworthy to live on it, able to defeat even death itself…" 

"…Who was defeated by a fifteen month old baby and his unremarkable mother," Lucius snapped testily, saying exactly what was running through Harry's head. The Malfoy patriarch did not appreciate hearing his son spouting someone else's propaganda, especially if it was related to one of his enemies, a group which the dark lord been counted in for over twenty years. Even when Lucius had pretended to serve him loyally, he'd still aided the fight in minor ways by briefing Snape and the ministry spies on the dark lords plans and by taking action to save his friends, Lilly included, from being murdered by his supposed master. "A fifteen month old baby who was is and will forever remain my son, my blood and one of my primary loyalties." The forty-one year old continued snidely, with a pointed glare at both Harry and Draco indicating that he wanted his two sons to acknowledge this as well. 

"Potter is not one of us! Ask him! Not even he believes that he belongs here." Draco roared in response, taking on the angry denial that Harry had deserted only moments before. Neither Lucius nor Harry were impressed by this reaction for differing reasons. The former disliked the denial, whilst Harry was concerned that he was actually agreeing with something that Draco had said. Not that Lucius liked his son's words much either, as he knew that the second half of the assertion was unfortunately correct, a situation that would have to be remedied. 

"Harry's beliefs are irrelevant. He belongs here as much as you or I, even if he is convinced otherwise. His judgement is notoriously poor, as I am sure you can testify." Lucius responded snidely, casting a sidelong glance at Harry. Draco remained unmoved, despite the criticism of his archenemy. His father, just like his lord and his mother, was far more important than the Gryffindor. 

"I am sure you know all about Potter's poor judgement, father, as he seems to have passed it on to you," Draco said coldly, glaring harshly at Harry accusation clearly visible in his eyes. Draco's words were serious, he truly believed that Harry had corrupted his father, "But still I will not betray you for your follies or tell of your dalliance with the losing side. If only to prove how much better than you I really am." The blond turned and swept from the room imperiously, attempting to and not really succeeding in intimidating the rest of his family. 

Lucius stared after him blankly, letting his son get the final word. He was in a state of shock after having finally lost control of his elder son. Eventually, after he had finished processing what had just transpired, he roused himself from his stupor and turned his attentions towards his other child. Harry glared in response, knowing what Lucius would try to do and determined not to give an inch. 

**

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Apologies for taking so long in writing this chapter but I have been incredibly busy over the past few weeks and have had little time to write. This will continue for the next few months, so don't expect quick updates until the end of the summer. I know three weeks is a long time to wait, but the extended writing time has given me space to sort the various ideas peterning to this fic that arose out of book 5. Some of these ideas are clearly visible already in this chapter. 

I'm not going to go into detail, but before OotP I was extremely concerned about Draco's status and character in this fic. Many of these concerns were answered by the ideas which sprung out of book five, making him a much more believable, rounded and above all prominnant character in this fic. (which is kind of ironic considering how 2D and non-existant he was in the actual book) 

My other reason for changing this to a OotP fic is to with Sirius. I have never had much sentimental attachment to him, so wasn't that affected by his death, even if it did seem a little pointless. However in terms of this fic his fate is a blessing in disguise, as he was severely complicating both the Caranthir and the Lucius/Harry father/son plotlines. His death has removed these complications and replaced them with some rather nice Remus angst, which I allude to briefly in the revised chapter six. 

Finally I can't write an OotP fic without commenting on the book itself. You've probably heard all the arguments to death so I'm just going to say that I liked it and thought it was a good albeit flawed book, especially the characterizations which, with a few notable exceptions (Draco and buddies) were brilliant. 


	10. Insights

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 17th August 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 9: INSIGHTS 

A harsh staring contest between father and son ensured, the cold, calculating gaze of Lucius Malfoy meeting the defiant glare of Jason Malfoy, the child the world, including the boy himself, knew as Harry Potter. Both men refused to back down, attempting to impose their will on the other. No words were spoken, as both Malfoys directed their energy into besting the other. 

It was Lucius who spoke first, still refusing to break eye contact. He had realised that winning the boy's trust required more than just a dominating glare; it needed the right words as well. "So," he said drawing the vowel out so as to let the word hang in the air and reverberate around Harry's mind before continuing, "You are ready to listen, to hear the truth now. That is why you have returned." 

It was just as well that Lucius didn't expect an immediate response from Harry as he couldn't have got one with that Gryffindor still trapped in the body-bind, which Lucius had placed on him minutes before so as to ensure that he didn't attack Draco in a fit of rage. Fortunately the spell did not affect the expressiveness of Harry's eyes, which visibly displayed their defiant glare in the face of the elder Malfoy's perceived domineering. Although Harry would have interpreted the slightest gesture or merest hint of a word as an attempt at dominance, even if it had been something as innocuous as saying hello or goodbye. 

Not that Lucius was attempting to dominate Harry, at least not completely. He certainly wanted to control Harry; being in control was a habit, which was hard, and in Lucius' eyes, unwise, to break, especially when it came to dealing with someone as important and as powerful as Harry Potter. Of course gaining control of Harry wouldn't be easy, a point rammed home in the most dramatic of fashions just a few moments previously. It was just as well, therefore, that Lucius was not afraid of challenges for nobody could call the task he was about to undertake anything else. Even more importantly for Lucius, though, was that the scale of the challenge facing him was surpassed by just one other thing: the price of failure, which included not just the destruction of the Malfoy Family or victory for Voldemort but quite possibly both and a lot more besides. 

However, nothing could be achieved though with Harry in a body-bind, which was preciously why the aforementioned spell was removed the moment after he had ensured that there was nothing more to Harry's anger than distrust, defiance and the understandable reaction to Lucius' status as a death eater. Not that Harry showed any gratitude in having the spell removed, preferring instead to bolster his attempts at intimidation by drawing himself to his full height and proceeding to glare even more fiercely at his father. 

"Say what you want, Malfoy, as long as you tell me the truth about what happened between you and my mother. That's the real truth, not the neat little story which you would like to be the truth," Harry drawled snidely once he had met Lucius directly in the eye. He knew that the death eater was an expert liar, but he was pretty sure that in meeting his father eye to eye he could spot the lies and thus discover what he wasn't being told. 

"I have nothing to hide and no need to avoid the truth, Harry," Lucius responded sternly. He wasn't annoyed or angry at his son for saying that he would lie, if his relationship with Lilly had ended badly then he would have, but it hadn't and nothing about his history with Harry's mother could severely jeopardise his nascent and rather tempestuous relationship with his younger son, "There was no nastiness or hatred involved. Lilly and I got on well and our relationship ended amicably." 

"I'm sure it did," Harry laughed mocking, his anger still clearly evident, "But then whatever you did to my mum to get her to sleep with you in the first place must have made sure of that. You wouldn't want any angry ex-lovers would you, they might mark your oh-so-perfect reputation." 

"The only person who deserved a perfect reputation was your mother, considering what the scoundrel she called a husband got up to." Lucius sneered, in a tone, which could, in a pinch have been called protesting if one took into account the fact that Lucius Malfoy never showed any hint of desperation or petulance, 

Harry's lips formed themselves into a scowl, whilst he knew full well that James Potter was a bit of a jerk, he couldn't have been that bad or his mother wouldn't have married him otherwise. 

"No sooner had they married then that bastard was off having an affair with another woman…" 

"You can talk. You probably did the same thing," Harry snapped aggressively, not bothering to question the truth of what Lucius had said because it fitted in perfectly with the model of behaviour that he had seen in Snape's pensieve. Not that Harry had ever considered such a possibility before, but it did provide the perfect excuse for his mother's behaviour. From what he had heard Lilly Potter was not the type to cheat on her husband, but only the most stoic of women not would be prepared to conduct an affair if her husband was doing the same thing. 

"Narcissa knew exactly what I was doing and consented to me doing it. My wife knew ours was a marriage of convenience and did not expect me to stay faithful," Lucius responded blandly, sounding as if he were talking about something as everyday as the weather or the quidditch scores. Surprisingly Harry's outburst had calmed Lucius rather than make him angrier, "Your mother on the other hand was led to believe that Potter wasn't planning his next conquest as he walked up the aisle. Potter saw a girl who was desperately in love with him and married her just to make sure he had someone to fall back on if all his other fan girls deserted him. The sad thing is that it worked; the moment one of his conquests gave him what he deserved, Lilly ran back straight to him as if nothing had happened." 

"With you as the alternative, I don't blame her. My dad may have been an arrogant prick but at least he wasn't an evil arrogant prick." Harry replied, his angry tone contrasting with the calmness of Lucius. 

Lucius mentally shook his head in despair at the young man's moralising. The Gryffindor tendency to divide everybody and everything into good and evil had always annoyed him and not only because he was automatically classified as evil as a consequence of his house allegiance. But also because in adhering to moral rules too strictly the typical Gryffindor was overemotional and prone to acting illogically and stupidly, both modes of behaviour which annoyed him to no end. Of course the best way to respond to such moralising tendencies was with cold hard logic and the hope that the moraliser wasn't so wool-brained that he or she refused to acknowledge the perfectly obvious, as was the dominant tendency among the Weasley family, a trait which was the cause of the infamous Weasley poverty and their blood feuds with the five most powerful wizarding families in the British Isles. 

"Just because I am a death eater it does not mean I approve of the dark lord's methods," Lucius replied, a hint of annoyance entering his voice. The Malfoy patriarch knew that in order for Harry to accept him that he had to deal with the death eater issue once and for all, but that didn't mean he had to like doing it, "I may not be a muggle-lover, but I like many of the death eaters, do not approve of meaningless violence and a genocide of mudbloods either. It serves no purpose except to make the world your enemy and damage your cause irrevocably, as was proved during the last war and will be proved during this." 

"You didn't seem to disapprove of violence while torturing muggles during the World Cup. And surely the aim of opening the chamber of secrets must surely have been to kill all the muggle-borns in Hogwarts," Harry sneered, not believing a word that Lucius was saying. Whilst Harry knew that there were death eaters that genuinely disapproved of Voldemort's methods, there was absolutely evidence that Malfoy was one of them and plenty of evidence to the contrary. Besides Draco must have picked up his hero-worshiping of Voldemort from somewhere and the most obvious source would be the father who the Slytherin had idolised so much. 

"My goal in opening the chamber of secrets was not a massacre of mudbloods, but merely to ensure their expulsion from Hogwarts. If massacre had been my goal then I would have chosen a somewhat surer of performing rather than through a basilisk controlled by a sentient diary which can occasionally possess a student for a short period of time," Lucius responded, his curt tone failing to disguise how tetchy he felt about the whole chamber episode. "As it was my failure to remove you from Hogwarts and Riddle's attempt to gain a body sabotaged the whole thing anyway. As for the events of the quidditch world cup, despite the beliefs of the dark lord to the contrary, that was Walden Macnair's idea not my own. I am not normally stupid enough so as to engage in death eater activity when every Auror in the country and most of the Law Enforcement Patrol are only a few hundred yards away, the risk of capture and arrest is far too great." 

"How on earth is releasing a deadly monster going to lead to the expulsion of the muggle-borns in Hogwarts? Dumbledore would never have allowed it, he'd rather have closed the school!" Harry asked incredulously. He was still extremely sceptical about Lucius' claimed loyalties, despite the overwhelming evidence that Draco believed his father to be disloyal to Voldemort. Whilst Draco was not a good enough actor to have faked his reactions, Lucius' story did have plenty of holes in it. 

"Which is why I tried to replace Dumbledore with a headmaster who had a somewhat more enlightened attitude to mudbloods and the muggle kind first," Lucius snapped in response, "Rather than simply forcing the governors to impose a ban, against the wishes of the headmaster. The old coot would have most likely resigned rather than see the expulsion of his precious mud bloods, a move which would have only heightened our opposition." 

Lucius' natural dislike at being questioned in a manner such as Harry's had only served to amplify the bad mood, which the argument with Draco had put him in, and the disquiet he felt while discussing both his loyalties and the catastrophe surrounding the chamber of secrets incident. Discussion of his loyalties was especially sensitive for him because of the consequences if the truth if it became public knowledge. It wasn't as if Harry was the most likely person to give his spying game away though, the boy could keep things a secret - unlike Cornelius Fudge, who would most likely tell everything if he was captured by the death eaters. A fact Lucius was sure that hadn't gone unnoticed by Voldemort. 

"So what!" Harry exclaimed furiously, his face a picture of angry disgust. He was incensed by his supposed father's lack of concern for the real issue at hand, whilst Lucius' reply had been enlightening, it had not answered the real question about the whole Chamber of Secrets incident, "You released a deadly monster, that had already killed somebody, into Hogwarts just so you could fulfil some bigoted and pathetic political goal of yours! Five people nearly died!" 

"I have already said that I did not want anyone, not even a mudblood, to die. I would not wish death on anyone, except, naturally, for my enemies. However, I will not lie to you. There are cases where one person's noble sacrifice, willing or not, can lead to greater benefits for the whole of society…" 

Harry grimaced in disgust as the Malfoy patriarch described the murder of muggle-borns in the most sickening of tones, not that the tone itself was sickening, but rather the combination of a praiseful vocal expression and the subject being discussed. 

"Perhaps there are," Harry intervened strongly, "but this is not one of them. When you opened the chamber you were plotting cold-blooded murder not self-sacrifice. What you tried to do was inexcusable and downright evil. Even if you were trying to do something great and noble, you cannot justify killing someone to achieve it. Murder is wrong, whatever the situation." 

"Life is not that that simple, Harry, not that I would expect you to understand," Lucius responded sternly, sounding far too much like an exasperated father scolding his errant son for Harry's liking. The situation was surreal enough as it was for Harry at that moment, without Lucius Malfoy making his threats good and starting to act like his father. 

"The ends justify the means," Lucius continued in the same tone of voice. "What you do is irrelevant as long as its consequences are good for your family and for society, be it defeating the dark lord or aiding St Mungo's Hospital. It is not the action itself, which defines good or evil, but what happens as a result. Surely you of all people must realise that killing the dark lord may be murder, but it most certainly is not evil." 

"That's different," Harry snapped without thinking, before pausing to think for a reason why. It wasn't as if he was disagreeing just for the sake of opposing Lucius, he genuinely felt as if his supposed father was wrong. "It doesn't matter so much if you kill Voldemort or any of his death eaters because we're at war with them. Killing people and winning battles is what war is about. If you don't kill them, then they'll most likely kill you instead. It's still wrong, but in the face of someone like Voldemort, it's the only thing you can do." 

"I see you have inherited some of your mother's common-sense, despite your up-bringing at those ghastly muggle relatives of yours and the influence of the Weasleys. Although you could do with displaying a little more of it," Lucius sneered, in a tone which despite his words was not particularly complementary. It also caused Harry to scowl in defiance at the Malfoy patriarch's hatred for the family of his best friend, "Although your mother was as moralistic as you and the rest of your house, at least she, like you, did not fall for the belief that war is somehow glorious and noble, and that it can solve all our problems. An attitude, which is regretfully rife among the membership of Gryffindor House, both past and present." 

"Not everyone thinks like that. Hermione certainly doesn't. Besides, it's a belief which is far more common in Slytherin than in Gryffindor," Harry contested hotly. Whilst he loved Gryffindor dearly, he did have to admit that many of his housemates were a little too happy to get involved in the war. But then for Harry, violence would always be linked to Voldemort, Dudley and the death eaters, all of whom enjoyed it a little too much for Harry's tastes, whilst many of his housemates had never had the benefit, if it could be called that, of Harry's experiences and had never seen the horrors of war and evil up close. 

"Among children maybe," Lucius replied, "But we soon grow out of it. But then Slytherins are always willing to adapt ourselves and our beliefs to the truth and to the circumstances we find ourselves in, unlike you Gryffindors who cling onto your beliefs in the face of even the fiercest logic." 

"Willing to adapt?" Harry questioned mockingly, giving half of a bitter laugh, "I suppose that's one way of putting it, but then I would prefer to phrase it as 'spineless cowards, who automatically seek the protection of the biggest and baddest kid on the block rather than stand up for themselves like any decent person would.'" 

"I believe that the trait you so inaccurately describe is known as survival," Lucius sneered, "Not that you would know anything about it, considering the way you have gone foolishly charging headlong into danger every year since you started at Hogwarts. We prefer not to take such risks though, being somewhat more attached to our lives and aware of the fact that anybody, even the lowest of peasants has the potential to do great things if they are alive, while nobody can do anything if dead." 

To the outsider, it looked as if nothing had changed in the expressions on their faces or in the unbroken gaze that had lasted the length of the conversation. Not even Lucas, who stood patiently in the corner watching the proceedings could discern the heightened tension and fiercer distrust that had gradually built up as the conversation went on, as it had turned from a battle of wills between father and son to a battle for victory between the age old enemies of Slytherin and Gryffindor. Even if Lucas had been able to discern the difference he would not have been able to realise the most remarkable thing of all: that an open and honest conversation had taken place in the first place, with each side arguing his position to the other. But as it was Lucas simply stood there, his mind calculating how best to complete the task his mother had set him: make Harry accept Lucius as his father. 

He was extremely disappointed therefore when they were interrupted by one of the house elves who cheerily informed all three of them that it was time for lunch. 

**

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**

Apologies for taking so long in writing this chapter but I have been incredibly busy over the past few weeks and have had little time to write. As I said before this will continue for the next few months, so don't expect quick updates until the end of the summer. 

With the exception of a little prodding here and there from me this chapter mostly wrote itself. Much of it surprising even myself, especially his extremely utilitarian conception of morality, which creates a few inconsistancies between this and the previous chapter. Most of these relate to the importance he places to family over society as a whole and can be resolved by attributing them to his tendency to telling people what they want to hear, something he does to great effect in this chapter. After all Harry wants to hear the truth and Lucius tells it to him, even if he glosses over it a little. 

I have also taken the opportuntiy to explicitly state Lucas' role in this fic. He's there in the background, trying to bring Harry and Lucius together. He's not going to be Harry's new best friend, someone else is pegged for that role, nor is he even going to turn up at Hogwarts. 

Finally a few clarifications. Harry will not get re-sorted. Nor will he get more Malfoyish. You don't have to be a Slytherin or act like a Slytherin to become friends with a Slytherin. 


	11. Results

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 22nd September 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 10: RESULTS 

Lunch was a surprisingly tense affair, during which Draco spent most of his sulking and refusing to acknowledge the presence of neither his father nor Harry nor Lucas, who had quietly observed all of the events in Lucius' Office. The teenaged Slytherin didn't even react when Lucas left the table half way through the meal looking as if he was on the verge of tears. Not that Lucius made much reaction either, except for a sympathetic glance, but that was reaction enough in itself for normally he would never have allowed anyone to leave the table during the course of a meal. Narcissa seemed similarly sympathetic to Lucas' plight, although she expressed her feelings in words not looks. This was because Lucius' wife spent the whole meal engaged in small talk with Harry, a course of action which did not entirely please her son, who kept on shooting her evil glares, that screamed of betrayal, throughout the meal. Draco's opinion of his mother further plummeted when she reacted to Harry's worries about getting lost by finding a map of the manor for him, upon which all of the major rooms, including Harry's bedroom, were all clearly labelled. 

All in all, Harry left lunch feeling somewhat calmer than when he had begun it, even if the confusion and disorientation that his circumstances had generated only increased. He wasn't stupid enough to mistake Narcissa's polite conversation for genuine warmth. It did mean though that she was willing to play the role of the passive wife when it came to Harry and adhere to her husband's wishes, but until he knew what Lucius really wanted with him he had no idea whether this was a good or bad thing. At least though it was the behaviour he had expected from her, unlike the distinctly weird and unnerving way Lucius was acting or Draco's rather shocking hostility towards his father. Then to add towards the already substantial confusion created by the two Malfoy men was the behaviour of Professor Dumbledore and what he had learnt about his parents, his father – James, especially. 

He was grateful, therefore, for the opportunity to find a breathing space away from the confines of the ancient manor house that served as the ancestral home of the Malfoy Family, and to take stock of what had happened amidst the gentle rolling downlands of the Wiltshire countryside. Narcissa, who had surprised Harry by saying that she was a keen rider with a great love for horses, had recommended a few short walks along some of the many bridleways and footpaths that dotted the area around the manor. He even took up one of her suggested routes that led up onto and along an ancient earthwork known as the Wansdyke, thoroughly enjoying the whole experience, especially the good views looking into the Vale of Pewsy. Even better was that with the exception of a middle-aged couple out for a walk, the ridge was blissfully devoid of people, both muggle and wizard, allowing Harry to gather his wits and organise his thoughts on that morning's chaotic allowing him to come to two conclusions, one of which only fuelled his anger, the other of which suggested a potential course of action. 

That both James Potter and Lucius Malfoy were complete bastards, who deserved to rot in hell, was painfully obvious. Whilst he had no idea for how long James cheated on his mother, Lucius' assessment that it would have been straight after his marriage fitted what little he knew about the man who he had once proudly called his father. Besides of anyone was to understand the way the mind of a serial philanderer such as James Potter then be someone who was equally as bad, like Lucius. Then, after Harry's mother found out about her adultery Lucius had taken advantage of her while she had been vulnerable and manipulated her into having affair with him. What he didn't know, however, was how everything had ended, except that at some point his mother had got back together with her husband after some woman named Aranel had run off with James' illegitimate son. 

All this, however, was meaningless compared to the question of what Lucius intended to do with him. That he needed to find out the intentions of the Malfoy patriarch was beyond question. Whilst he was sure that Lucius, or Draco for that matter, wouldn't try anything blatantly illegal whilst being watched by the ministry, that only increased the danger for Harry, because he was far less likely to spot a more subtle threat before it was too late. He had even spent an extremely long time trying to come up with a way to read Lucius' mind and find out his real father's intentions, before he had suddenly realised that it was possible for him to do it literally using Legilimency provided, of course, that he learned how to do it first. 

The tranquillity of his isolation didn't last, for as much as it pained him he had to descend from the ancient earthwork and walk through the small village of Alton Magis, back to his temporary place of residence. The village itself was nothing exceptional, as it had the look of a place that could have been situated anywhere in England. There was a small, village church, a small primary school and a pub, which, much to Harry's disgust, was named the Malfoy Arms. The most notable thing about the whole place was the tall elfin-looking teenager, wearing wizards robes, sitting on a bench outside the village shop and it was only the fact that the boy spoke to him that made Harry give him anything more than a curious passing glance. 

"Hey, Harry," the boy said warmly as Harry passed, his tanned face breaking into a grin at the sight of the pale, blond teenager who he knew he knew to be the boy-who-lived, "How are you, mate?" 

"Not too bad, thank you. It could be worse, especially now that I'm staying with the Malfoys," Harry replied politely, stopping to respond to the question. He didn't even occur to him to question the fact that the longhaired boy had recognised him and called out his real name, even though he looked nothing like his normal appearance. 

He was met with a grimace of sympathy. "Bad luck, mate," the strange wizard said in a melodic voice that sounded annoying reminiscent to that of someone that Harry knew. Who it reminded him of he had no idea. "But you'll survive; it can't be much worse than living at the Dursley's and you survived with them for fourteen years," The facial expression changed again, back to a reassuring grin that clearly mocked and tried to calm the doubtful expression on Harry's face. His vocal expression was slightly less carefree now though and a lot more serious, "Yeah I know that they're all death eaters, but do you seriously think that Malfoy is going to try something with the ministry watching him. He's only just managed to worm his way out of Azkaban, so I don't think he's going to anything that will send him straight back. He may be evil but he's not stupid." 

"It's alright for you to say that you're not the one living with them," Harry complained in reply, sounding extremely put out by the horror he was currently experiencing. 

Not that the other boy blamed him; he would rather have died than live with the Malfoy's, even for one night. As it was he had his own problems, ones that he hoped would lighten up the other boy. "At least the Malfoy's aren't stalking you," The strange boy quipped, his light-heartedness a thin veil for his true feelings of bitterness for his parents, both birth and adopted, "Unlike my evil git of a father, who abandoned me when I was born, but suddenly turned at the doorstep this summer claiming that he actually gives a damn about me. As if that cold-hearted bastard could care for anyone!" He exclaimed passionately, with a venom that would have worked, if the boy's sentiments hadn't echoed some of the more positive thoughts Harry had been having about Lucius Malfoy, "To him I'm just another way to win popularity." 

"So you think your father doesn't care for you, big deal," Harry sneered angrily, feeling less than sympathetic towards the boy, who returned the attitude with an angry scowl, which not even Harry's continuation failed to removed, "At least he's not evil like my father, who I just found out happens to be Lucius Malfoy." 

"Well that explains why you're suddenly acting like such a cold-hearted git. That must be your precious father's influence," The other boy yelled back, feeling extremely annoyed by the blunt and uncaring dismissal that his complaints had received. He was far too angry to actually comprehend and fully understand the magnitude of what his friend had just said, that wouldn't happen until his anger at the Boy-Who-lived had subsided. Whether such comprehension would have altered the other boy's reaction was a moot point; he had a fierce hatred of the Malfoy Family, which he had inherited from his adopted father. 

Harry's reaction to the dark haired boy's comments was far more predictable: He was absolutely furious. His anger before far exceeded what he had felt just a few minutes previously, but then the only thing likely to have offended him more was an insult against one of the dark lord's victims, his mother especially. Despite that he did manage to retain his self-control and stop himself from actually attacking the stranger – just, that is if shouting insults at the top of you voice can be described as acting in a controlled manner. 

That was until he found himself suddenly cut off, in mid sentence, by a stray silencing charm, which he hadn't seen coming. Harry was far too annoyed to notice that rather than relaxing the stranger started scowling even more upon seeing the person who had cast the charm. Besides, Harry was far too busy glaring at the dark haired man who had cast the charm in the first place. He was a fairly tall man with the same elfin complexion as the boy Harry had been speaking to. He had jet-black hair too, albeit of a significantly shorter length. The most unusual thing about him though were his ears; they were pointed like those of an elf. His facial expression, however, was completely unlike the cheerful demeanour that was normally associated with the Elven kind. Instead he eyed the two boys with a mixture of disgust, hatred and contempt that made Harry hate him instantly. 

"What did I tell you about associating with Malfoy Scum?" the man sneered, the disgust in his voice completely strangling its melodic tone. Harry clenched his fists in fury trying desperately to avoid pummelling the man to pieces especially in the middle of the street. He didn't yell out a reply either, as he was too angry to talk. 

"Him? Malfoy Scum?" The man's son mocked, heartening Harry slightly, "How can he be? He's a Gryffindor not a Slytherin," He couldn't see the boy eyeing his father warily, but he could certainly the gaze crawling past him. Even if it wasn't aimed it him, it still made him feel extremely uncomfortable. 

"In name maybe," the man replied contemptuously, "But in spirit he's probably already one of them. His mother was a weak minded fool who would always fall for the games and manipulations of evil men. I bet that he's already the same. Don't be fooled, son, he may act like Harry Potter, but underneath he's probably a typical Malfoy; as evil as you and I are good and proud that his family are Voldemort's leading lapdogs." 

That was the final straw. Harry's control snapped. He lunged for the man, punching him in the face and dragging him to the ground before anyone could react. As unpalatable as it sounded, he could just about tolerate being called a Malfoy. It was the truth after all. However, he would not allow anyone to insult his mother, nor would he contemplate accusations that he was evil. The first was an abhorrent to him, the second as offensive as it was ludicrous. 

The man was taken completely by surprise. He had not expected Evans' son to do something as stupid as attacking him: A fully-grown adult with a significant height and weight advantage. Not that this advantage really mattered, by the time he had recovered from his surprise it was too late: he was beaten and winded, with his attacker striding away, paying him no more than a passing glance of contempt. That small glance was more attention than his son gave him, though. For the boy had disappeared while he had been distracted and was no where to be seen. 

After the encounter with the strange boy, who seemed oddly familiar and his arrogant and overbearing father, Harry made his way back to Malfoy Manor at a brisk pace, hoping that he could walk off some of his dark mood. Fortunately, for them and him, he encountered no-one, not even one of the Malfoys, as he made his way up to his new room, intent on staying there for the rest of the day and being left to brood in peace. He wasn't left entirely on his own, but after initially snapping at the house elf who disturbed him, he found out that the interruption, being for dinner, was a welcome one and than flattered the poor creature by proceeding to apologise profusely for his ill temper. 

He did make his way to breakfast the next morning, rather than choosing to have it in his own room. This was because he felt he ought to put in an appearance, if only to show the Malfoy's that he was still around, thus preventing them from disturbing him in his room. As it turned out he was glad that he put in an appearance as the receipt of his and especially Draco's OWL results provided considerable entertainment. 

The moment he saw them, Harry had guessed the contents of the two identical envelopes carried by a pair of official looking barn owls. With everything that had been going on he had all but forgotten about his exam results, but the nerves came rushing back the moment he realised that this was the day he would receive them. Draco had obviously realised the same thing for the blond boy, even if he refused to show any nerves, was warily tracking the path of the owl that came towards him, treating it as if it were holding dynamite. This attitude changed the moment the owl released the fateful letter, as he hastily grabbed it out of the air and tore it open without thinking, all before Harry had even touched his letter. The reaction was instantaneous: his face fell, disappointment and then anger replacing the predatory watchfulness and hurried eagerness. 

Harry felt like grinning when he saw his archrival's expression. He knew it was childish but he couldn't help but feel a little happy about the fact that the Slytherin had done badly; the arrogant git did deserve it after all. This was tempered, however, by the knowledge that if Malfoy had badly then he might well have done so to, especially if Malfoy's poor results were down to something like harsh marking. This only increased his nerves making him hesitant of opening the envelope for fear that it contained bad news. 

He opened it though, hurriedly, in a similar fashion to his rival so as to get it and over done with that little bit quicker. He then impatiently unfolded the piece of parchment inside and scanned the list of subjects and their accompanying grades from 'Astronomy – Average (A)' to 'Potions – Average (A)' then he grinned, the results weren't bad actually. Not that any of the Malfoys noticed, they were all paying far too much attention to Draco's temper tantrum. In fact the results were pretty good, at least for Harry they were. He had been a little surprised to see two 'Outstandings' among the results. He had been expecting one in Defence, but even so, to actually see it on the results statement was a pleasant surprise. The Outstanding for Care of Magical Creatures on the other hand was a complete surprise, he had always had pretty good grades in Hagrid's classes and in Professor Grubbly-Plank's classes too, but they'd never really been that good. Another subject where he had exceeded his own doom-laden expectations was potions which he had actually managed to pass, although not with a high enough grade to actually continue the subject. Which, although disappointing, had always been his expectation. He had completely failed Divination, achieving a 'D', but then he didn't care how well he did in that subject. 

One man who certainly cared about every subject was Lucius, who was currently reading his heir's results and looking both positively furious and personally offended by them. 

"This is completely unacceptable. You will have to retake them," The Malfoy Patriarch exclaimed coldly, as he threw the results parchment onto the dinning table. There was a stunned silence. 

"No. I will not allow you to humiliate me or our family name, just because some mudblood examiner decided to award me the wrong grades," Draco stated firmly his eyes blazing with a cold fury that matched his father's anger. It was a reply that surprised Harry. He had expected his rival to protest like a whiny little boy, not make a flat out refusal. 

"You will do as I say, Draco," Lucius replied, his voice even firmer then that of his son. It also expressed a finality that would have once caused Draco to back down, but not anymore; he was no longer a little boy. 

"No," Draco repeated his tone and voice as firm as before, "I will not let you." This was a battle of wills similar to that between Harry and Lucius the previous day, both men had their eyes locked in a fierce glare filled with contempt, betrayal and anger, neither would willingly admit defeat and break their gaze. There was no hatred between these two men, but that was the only sign that this was a battle of wills between father and son. 

"Then I will shall have to force you," Lucius stated matter of factly, his voice still as cold as an arctic winter and held only promise not threat. 

"You can say what you like, Lucius, but it won't happen. That I can guarantee you," Draco sneered in reply as he stood up and stepped away from the dinning table, all without breaking the staring contest between him and his father. 

"Now if you'll excuse I've got a lot to do today and several people too meet and I really ought to get going," He continued his voice suddenly changing to a polite, business like tone, which he accompanied with a predatory smirk. "Not that you would know, but moving out is such a long and tiresome business and I would really like to be at Aunt Bella's by nightfall." He leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek before picking up his exam results and striding out of the room, leaving his shocked parents behind him. 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

Apologies for taking so long in writing this chapter but I have been incredibly busy over the past few weeks and have had little time to write, my life is significantly quieter now though, so expect quicker updates. 

The two 'new' characters are significant and the antagonism between is quite important tpp. Prepare for a few surprise with those two, especially the younger one who is actually a cannon character in a similar situation to Harry. (Harry will find that out in the next chapter, he won't find out who though) 

Don't worry Draco fans, your man will return soon. Whilst things haven't reached their nadir for him, the worst event of all is fast approaching and Harry will be on hand to see the fall out. His latest setback is a combination of bad luck and Lucius overreacting. His exam results aren't that bad, as he did get 4 Average's (In Charms, DADA, Transfiguration and Herbology) and an Exceeds Expectations in Potions, the later of which might or might not be upgraded to Outstanding on appeal (presuming of course that Draco gets to speak to his potions professor before Lucius has a chance to oder Severus to deny a request for an appeal). 

Harry's exam results are however, significantly better. The two Os (DADA and CoMC) and the two As (Potions and Astronomy) are mentionned in the chapter, as is the D for Divination. He also failed History, getting a Poor. He got Exceeds Expectations for the rest. 


	12. Friendship

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 30th September 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 11: FRIENDSHIP 

Harry followed Draco out of the dinning room soon afterwards. His suspicions about Lucius' motives towards him had only increased after the Malfoy Patriarch's dismissal of his OWL results as 'acceptable.' After all he had seen the elder Malfoy complaining about his son's grades before and that was when they were much higher than Harry's own marks, as had been the general trend up until now that is. Not that Harry held any sympathy for the Slytherin – on the contrary he felt Malfoy deserved bad grades for being such an immature stuck-up prick, who seemed to put more effort into baiting the Gryffindors than into his schoolwork. He had even put this point to Draco's parents when they had commented on the difference in grades, although, naturally, he had been somewhat politer than in his own mind. 

Thinking of academics and work made Harry realise that he had some urgent research of his own to do on the subject of Legilimency. Therefore, he headed directly to the library to commence it straight away. He would have dearly loved to have Hermione to help him, but such assistance would be next to impossible to acquire as she was most probably at her home in Salisbury. Then of course there was the prospect that she might have found out about his supposed death. That morning's Daily Prophet had remained suspiciously quiet about the subject, as apparently had been the Wizarding Wireless Network, but he wouldn't have put it past a deceived Ministry Official or duped Order member to have told her instead. Of course thinking about Hermione only made him miss his friends and curse the fact that he couldn't contact them as Lucius had warded the manor owlery against him, preventing him from sending any letters that he might have written. 

His isolation from his friends was made even harder by the presence, even a temporary one, of Draco Malfoy. This point was driven home when he encountered his archrival as he made his way to the entrance hall just after lunch, after an extremely frustrating morning. 

"Ah look. It's Potter the Father Snatcher," the blond Slytherin sneered upon seeing his enemy. He acted as if he were performing to his goons, even though no one was there. 

Harry immediately tensed, any talk of his parentage, especially regarding Lucius Malfoy, was a sensitive subject for him at the moment. "Can't you find your father, Malfoy?" Harry taunted in a patronising manner, his voice clearly containing a hint of bitterness. This was met with a twisted sneer and a fierce glare that clearly proclaimed Draco wanted nothing to do with his father. "Well don't ask me where he is," Harry continued, "As I care about is that he's not here, where I am." 

"You surprise me, Potter," Draco jibed bitterly, anger and hatred etched on his face. "I would have expected you to know the current location and activity of everyone of your adoring fans. You wouldn't want them to be doing something that didn't revolve around you, would you?" 

"I thought you knew your father better than that Malfoy," Harry retorted, trying to sound calm, and only just succeeding. "He's not one of my fans; he hates me." 

It was a reply that shocked Draco so much that he could only sneer at his enemy's stupidity. He had thought Potter intelligent enough to at least realise that his father had some form of positive feelings towards him; but it appeared the Gryffindor stupidity gene had triumphed once again. "Your stupidity astounds me, Potter," Draco said, unconsciously putting on a very good impression of his head of house, "Even a blind man could see that he's obsessed with you." 

"You're the one obsessed with me, Malfoy," Harry snapped in reply, refusing to believe anything his archrival said, even for an instant. It was only a spur of the moment comment, but it had a greater impact than he intended. That however was because it happened to be the truth. 

The fury of denial instantly shot through the young Malfoy heir. "I am not obsessed with you!" he snarled hotly, the intensity of the emotions in the reply surprising even Draco. He refused to believe that his life revolved around his enemy. He was a Malfoy and Malfoys were not so petty as to become obsessed with defeating and outshining their enemies. That was the domain of the Weasleys. Of course, he had always tried to beat Potter, but then that was because he was ambitious and always wanted to be the best and that generally Potter happened to be in the way. His rivalry, no, enmity, with Potter wasn't personal, but a product of the fact that the Gryffindor had everything he wanted – Fame, Popularity, Power and until this year, victory in quidditch. No, he said to himself, it wasn't personal. 

Harry, however, remained unconvinced by his archrival's desperate cry. In fact, he derived a kind of twisted pleasure from Draco's desperation and the pain that it caused him. It was common knowledge among the Gryffindors that Malfoy was obsessed with besting him and that this desire had only increased following Lucius' recent imprisonment in Azkaban and the events of the past few days. Indeed, Hermione had mentioned it to Harry at least once. He didn't voice any of this in his reply though, preferring accompany an enigmatic grin by simply saying, "I wouldn't be sure of that, Malfoy." 

Unfortunately, Malfoy had recovered his composure and come up with a retort, so Harry wasn't treated to the satisfaction of seeing his rival's torment for a second time. "It's you want isn't it?" Draco sneered, "To be the centre of attention, for everyone to be obsessed with you, the perfect Boy-Who-Lived. Well I've got news for you Potter. We're not. I'm not obsessed with you, I hate you, Potter, for what you've done to my father and I want revenge." 

"So?" Harry answered dismissively, sounding as if he couldn't care any less about what Malfoy thought of him, which, of course, he didn't. Still it was reassuring to know that some things never changed. Knowing that Malfoy still hated him as passionately as ever encouraged him that the mad world where both of the Slytherin's parents acted kindly towards him was not all encompassing after all. 

"So?" Draco repeated bewilderedly, failing to accept that his enemy could care so little about him. Furthermore, the act of being dismissed as an irrelevance only angered him further. "Don't you have anything more to say than 'So?'" 

"Hmm, let me think," Harry said slowly, adopting an exaggerated thinking pose, that only wound up his school rival even more because of it's lack of seriousness. "No, I don't actually, so I'm not quite sure why I'm wasting my time talking to an arrogant spoilt brat like you." Before Malfoy could come out with a reply that matched the expression of indignant outrage that covered his face, Harry turned and walked straight out of the large wooden front doors to the manor house, ignoring the cries of self-important indignity that followed behind him. 

He didn't get far though before he was interrupted by another person that he didn't want to see – the strange, yet familiar boy that he had encountered on his way home during the previous day. The elfin looking boy waited just outside the manor grounds, leaning on the small side gate which led from Malfoy Land to a small lane leading to the village of Alton Magis. It was clear that he wanted to speak to Harry. 

"I came to apologise for what I said to you yesterday about being like a Malfoy," he said humbly before Harry could ask him to move so as he could get through the gate. He sounded and looked as though he truly meant what he was saying. "It was a stupid thing to say, because you'll never be anything like them. You're the kindest, bravest, most noble person that I know and nothing could ever change that." 

Harry looked at the other boy suspiciously, wanting to know where this high opinion of him had come from, after all the Daily Prophet had been saying nice things about him ever since it had admitted Voldemort's return. For once, he wasn't angry, his temper having been placated by the sincerity of the longhaired boy's apology. "How would you know what I'm like? We only met for the first time yesterday and you definitely shouldn't believe everything you read about me in the papers." 

"You're not the only Gryffindor forced to put up with a disguise for the holidays and an evil git of a father," The other boy said, his distaste at as his personal circumstances detracting from the warmth of his tone. Adjusting his stance, he stood up straight, allowing Harry to go through the gate. 

Harry's mind went back to the encounter with the boy's father that had taken place the previous afternoon. He had thought that his friend – he knew that the boy was speaking the truth when he said they were friends and housemates, even if he wasn't sure who exactly– had been exaggerating before hand, but afterwards he knew that every criticism his friend had made was true. "I ought to apologise too, for being insensitive about your problems with your father. Until I met him, I simply couldn't believe that anyone could be a worse father than Lucius Malfoy." 

"You don't know the worst of it," the unknown Gryffindor muttered, his tone and gaze hardening sharply at the knowledge of the secrets that his father bore. He would dearly love to tell his friend everything – he deserved to know – but he felt it unfair to say anymore whilst Harry had more important problems to deal with. "There's things about that man that make me so angry, that at times I could kill him. Some of the stuff he's done is so horrible that it's just unforgivable." 

"What kind of things?" Harry asked, finally going through the gate and following his friend along the road to the village. He was curious to know what about the boy's father, beyond his arrogant tone, was so bad that it could possibly merit the amount of hatred that his friend held for him. 

The elfin looking boy opened his mouth to speak, before closing it again and shaking his head. "I can't tell you, mate," he said regretfully, "It's unfair for me to burden you with all my troubles on you, when you're in just as bad a situation as me." He felt guilty for not telling him and even more guilty for not even saying that a lot of it was to do with Harry, but he knew that at the end of the day saying nothing was the right thing to do. 

Harry, unwilling to pressurise his friend on what appeared to be a touchy issue, didn't push the subject any further. Instead he changed to topic of conversation to a something slightly more light hearted – the recent troubles of Draco Malfoy. Naturally, Harry's friend reacted extremely favourably to the news that Malfoy had had a major falling out with his father. After all, Malfoy's hero worship and general dependence on his father was a well-known and much disliked part of the blond's personality. One thing Harry hadn't expected though was the other boy's reaction to Malfoy's bad OWL results or more specifically the amount of joy he derived from it. 

"Five passes!" Harry's friend exclaimed gleefully, the big grin on his face expanding that little bit more, "Is that all? Even I should have done better than that! But then I haven't been relying on Daddy's bribes to give me good grades for the past five years. Of course, my dad couldn't bribe the teachers, even if he wanted to," He added hastily, as if afraid he had given Harry the wrong idea. Not that the boy-who-lived had believed, even for one instant, that his friend's father would do the same thing, simply because he didn't know anyone else with a father in a position to do such a thing. 

"All it does is prove what we knew all along – that he's as stupid as he acts," Harry summarised, his care-free expression and voice, contrasting with the malicious nature of his words. His friend laughed. 

"You know what's even better about this though?" the other Gryffindor asked gleefully. Harry, though, didn't have a clue what the other boy was thinking. "He can't go running to Daddy and get him to fix it for him, because they've fallen out!" He continued spiritedly, once he had spied the look of confusion that had met his rhetorical question, "And it's not as if you-know-who is going to help him to improve his exam results." 

Harry chuckled lightly at the prospect of You-Know-Who aiding Malfoy's fight to get his exam results upgraded. For some reason an image of the dark lord arguing with an extremely stoic and stern looking Griselda Marchbanks popped into his head. "Yes, but some of the death eaters might, after all some of them are quite senior in the ministry," he argued, once he had finished chuckling over his mental image and shared it with his friend, who had shared the laugh, even if he hadn't found it quite so funny. 

"Who would want to be seen helping a…" The other boy began, as the two boys turned down a path in between the church in Alton Magis and the vicarage. It was sheltered by two large hedges on either side, making it difficult to see into the churchyard on one side or the house on the other, which was just as well as at this point that an Owl swooped down from the trees above and dropped a letter right into the other boy's hands. 

Harry guessed the contents immediately, even though he had only caught a brief glimpse of the front of the envelope. There was none of the hesitation Harry had shown upon receiving his own results, although his friend looked a little pale with nerves. Instead he tore into the envelope hurriedly, in a manner which he had seen countless times before, when any of his dorm mates received letters. 

"Bloody Hell!" His friend exclaimed, looking amazed and overjoyed, "I passed them all, even Potions!" 

"What grades did you get for them?" Harry asked, leaning in towards his friend, so he could peer over his shoulder and look at the sheet of parchment listing the results. He didn't really need to hear his friend exclaim joyfully that he 'Average (A)' for all nine of his subjects, for he could see it on the boy's results sheet. "Well done," Harry said amiably, once he had finished spying on his friend's grades. He was genuinely happy for him, although initially he had felt a little bit concerned that his friend had gained the better OWL results. He knew that he shouldn't be worried about who had the better grades and felt a guilty for doing so, but he couldn't help being a little competitive, especially when he, Ron, Seamus and Dean were so evenly matched. 

The conversation continued as the path turned to the left and the climbed up the hill. His friend – Harry realised half way with a start halfway up the hill that he actually didn't know who his friend was, but he felt a little stupid asking him his name – had changed the topic of conversation to Harry's own results. He seemed to be genuinely happy when Harry told him that he had got two 'O's, but showed no sign of surprise or amazement. He found out several days later that his friend had expected Harry to get O's in both 'Defence Against the Dark Arts' and 'Care of Magical Creatures.' He didn't blink an eye-lid when Harry confessed that he got a 'D' for Divination, instead asking to hear the outlandish accident and death predictions that Harry had fed the stern and uncompromising examiner, which Harry duly recounted, or at least as much as he could remember of them. They shared more than a few laughs over that as the conversation continued, rapidly changing topic, without settling on one subject for long. In fact, it almost seemed as though the other boy seemed a little afraid to go into too much depth, for fear of revealing which of Harry's dorm mates he really was. Not that Harry countenanced this notion for a few seconds before dismissing it as being ludicrous. After all, the boy walking along side him had demonstrated enough knowledge to convince Harry that he was really one of his friends in disguise. 

He returned to the Manor around five, feeling a lot better for having the knowledge that he wasn't totally alone, despite his supposed death, even if it had gone unreported, and the Lucius imposed isolation from his friends. It still didn't solve the problem the Malfoy patriarch presented, but it certainly made his troubles a lot easier to bear, especially now that he knew some one else was suffering from the same situation. He was even in a good enough mood to go to dinner, rather than eat in his room, despite the presence of the senior Malfoy. It was a decision aided considerably by the knowledge that the junior Malfoy would be absent. He noticed the difference this change made the moment he walked into the dinning room, as the tension that Draco's presence had created was no longer evident. Instead, there was a sense of companionship, which initially made Harry feel a little tense, but which he soon ignored. It was almost as if Draco had never existed. One thing he did appreciate though was the silence that accompanied the meal – he certainly found it preferable to conducting small talk, an art he hadn't had much practice at. He was extremely disappointed therefore when Lucius broke the silence with an announcement that Harry had not been expecting. 

"Severus informs you are in need of Occlumency lessons and asked me to teach you." Lucius informed him sternly, expecting his younger son to argue. He didn't though – he had been planning on asking for them anyway. 

**

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**

That's a lot better isn't it? At least time wise it is - 8 days instead of five weeks. Apologies if this chapter feels a little rushed. I don't think it shows it, but I've been trying desperately to get this chapter out today, as I will be busy for the next few days. 

Just for clarification, Aunt Bella is indeed Bellatrix Lestrange. As for the question of Draco's loyalty that will come to head in the next few chapters, as he will be forced to choose between Voldemort and his family, a choice is going to be anything but easy for him. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter the last few chapters, your reviews and your patience were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	13. Occlumency

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 30th October 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 12: OCCULUMENCY 

For a variety of reasons, Harry's lessons didn't actually begin start for another week; the only one he knew of was his Uncle Janus' funeral five days after Lucius' surprise announcement. The funeral itself was a private affair, attended only by Janus' and Maria's close family and friends, none of whom Harry had ever met, with the exception of the Malfoy's of course. Unsurprisingly, Draco appeared to be the only notable absentee, from the gathering, which took place in the Malfoy Manor Chapel, which was situated at the edge of the manor grounds and resting place to countless generations of Malfoy. None of this stopped both Lucius and especially Maria making extremely passionate speeches about Janus, why he was a true Slytherin and the need to oppose Voldemort. Lucius then repeated his speech at the public memorial service for Janus, which took place at the Ministry the next afternoon, making only a few minor variations to explain why he joined the death eaters, before going on to say why it was such a big mistake. Nobody seemed to take much notice of anything else, even the fact that Maria and Lucas were not present, a fact that didn't make the next morning's Daily Prophet, despite the fact that Lucius' speech made the front page under the headline 'Death Eater Repents.' As such a headline indicated, the article itself was highly supportive of Lucius as it boldly proclaimed that, 'Doubts about the loyalty of Lucius Malfoy, the convicted death eater, to the light side were dispelled in spectacular fashion yesterday, when the 41 year old from Alton Magis in Wiltshire made a highly passionate and devastating attack on He-who-must-not-be-named.' The article even went as far as to call for the Malfoy Patriarch to be released from House Arrest and bemoaning Fudge, when the Minister, in a rare show of sense, refused to countenance such a notion. 

The day of the newspaper article was also the day of Harry's first occulumency lesson, an event that was to take place in a deserted room on the second floor, far away from where they might have been disturbed by any visitors. Harry wasn't particularly looking forward to these lessons, nor did he feel they were particularly urgent, as his scar and the link it represented had not bothered him for at least a fortnight. Not that he didn't want the lessons – he would need to know Occulumeny when Voldemort found out he was alive and, more importantly, it gave him a chance to reverse the process and look inside Lucius' mind and find the truth about his situation. Everything would be fine though, as long as he kept his temper under control, something that was easier said than done, especially when Lucius Malfoy was the one who was going to be teaching him. On the bright side though, he didn't expect the lessons to take that long, he already know the basic technique, he'd learned that during his previous attempt at learning Occulumency, which had failed due to Snape's unswerving ability to always annoy and anger Harry, a talent Lucius did not possess. 

The difference between the two men's teaching style was noticeable immediately, if only because Lucius did not look at Harry with the expression of intense dislike that Snape always wore around him. It was only a small change, but seeing your tutor wear an expression of neutrality, made Harry feel a lot calmer, even this was countered by an increased wariness, that made Harry be on his guard. Nevertheless, such wariness was an improvement, in Harry's opinion, on the effect that Snape had on him. 

"I trust you remember the correct technique?" Lucius asked when Harry walked into the room, not giving him enough time to settle. 

"Clear your mind and focus," Harry parroted disdainfully, feeling a little patronised by Lucius' question. He expected the blond man to react to such a tone, but surprisingly, he didn't. Unaware that Lucius wanted him to be as calm as possible, he had no reason for the Malfoy Patriarch's lack of reaction He was just pleased that he didn't have to cope with the other man's temper. 

Instead, Lucius cut the conversation short. He had suffered from the same temper problem that Severus had mentioned when he had been receiving Occulumency and Legilimency, but then he had never had the best of relationships with his father. In fact, there were striking parallels between his own disdain for his father and Draco's current attitude towards him. By launching directly into the spell casting, he hoped that his second don's suspicion and distrust wouldn't hinder his Occulumency attempts. "Legilimens." 

Certainly, the sudden onslaught caught Harry completely unprepared, cutting off his thoughts as he struggles to clear his mind and retain the control he needed to reverse the process and peer into Lucius' memory. The shock also made him quell what little emotion he had been experiencing, thus increasing the calm effect that Lucius' unconfrontational approach had on him. 

Not even the flash of successive memories that accompanied Lucius' penetration into his mind disturbed his temper. Random memories flashed past him: Landing on the roof of his old primary school, meeting Ron for the first time on the Hogwarts Express during first year, receiving the Invisibility Cloak during his first Christmas at Hogwarts, In the Hospital Wing after going through the trap door. That was as far as Lucius got before Harry managed to reassert control and reverse the process. With a moment of fierce concentration, he pushed the invading entity out of his mind and back into it's own body, before following up the effort by pushing after it, deep into the mind of his true father. He took Lucius completely by surprise, allowing him for a few moments, to glimpse flashes of the older man's memories. He saw Lucius alone in a cemetery, weeping, kneeling in front of a freshly dug grave. He could see several bunches of flowers resting beneath the headstone, all of them white Lilies. He barely had time to read the name before the image faded. What he saw shocked him – it read 'Lilly Potter.' The second memory could have been anywhere at anytime, because it was of a death eater meeting. He saw very little of interest, but that was more than made up for by the emotions that Lucius had been feeling. They were so strong that they penetrated through the emotionless void, that Legilimency created, meaning that he shared the fear and loathing that Lucius was directing at the Dark Lord. 

Such strong passion instantly broke through the emotionless barrier that was needed for Harry to maintain his intrusion into Lucius' mind. It didn't really matter that the memory also broke the nascent control that Lucius had re-established after the shock of the intrusion, for the Legilimency connection broke anyway. Harry soon discovered, however, that such a loss of control on Lucius' part had been intentional. 

"Nice try," Lucius said a little mockingly. Harry was sure the tone was a thin veil for the anger he felt at being subjected to a Legilimency attack, "But, as I demonstrated, tricks such as that will not work on me. On the bright side, your impetuosity has provided the means to teach you the more useful tricks that Severus, in his stubbornness, neglected to teach you. 

The lesson continued for over an hour, with Lucius explaining how emotion could be used to foil a Legilimency attempt just as effectively as the blank mind technique, especially when facing someone as persistent in their intrusions as Voldemort. The whole practice relied on the ability to control what memories you let someone see, which was easier said then done. He spent most of the time being demonstrated on by Lucius, who kept on asking him to perform Legilimency properly, only for the blond man to kick out of his head because the memory aroused some emotion or other in Harry, it varied every time. He eventually picked up some inkling of the technique though; more from the explanations than from the demonstrations, and as a consequence was finally allowed to practice it on Lucius. Not that he had much success, as he couldn't find a memory that made Lucius emotional enough to lose control. He eventually found one that made him react, causing him to storm out of the room in a mixture of anger and humiliation that shocked Harry. The memory itself was, retrospectively, one that Harry should have realised would have an effect, because it was of the one death eater meeting Harry had been present at – The one moments after Voldemort's resurrection. 

Harry followed Lucius out, immediately heading back to his room, to relax. Having arranged not to meet his familiar friend until the next day, he had nothing better to do. Besides, he was not in the mood to be teased his new found crush on Pavarti, something his dorm mates had teased out of him on the last day of term. Especially if he repeated the unwelcome comment that he had made five days previously about his crush's tendency to date blonds. Naturally, though his friend had apologised profusely afterwards. 

His peace didn't last though for several hours later Harry heard a knock on his bedroom door. Without thinking, he asked whoever had knocked to enter to enter. As a consequence, he was extremely surprised to see a somewhat calmer Lucius enter the room. Whilst he had been half expecting a visit from the head of the Malfoy Family he had thought that he, like anyone else Harry didn't want to see, would simply barge in without respect for Harry's privacy. He did, however, walk over to Harry's desk and sit down without being invited, before speaking. 

"I assume your attempt at Legilimency during today's lesson was far from accidental," Lucius stated, showing no anger at the intrusion he had experienced. It was not a question. 

"Of course," Harry replied levelly, looking Lucius directly in the eye with a gaze that matches his vocal expression, "I had to know the truth about my mother and whether I could trust you. All I have is your word and I'm hardly going to trust that." 

Lucius grinned slightly, disarming Harry. His calmness was highly disconcerting, especially when taking into account the blond man's anger that existed when the last time the issue was raised previously. "Your caution would be admirable under normal circumstances," He stated. "When it comes to familial relationships, however, trust is an important feature…." 

How can I trust you given what you are?" Harry hissed in reply, causing Lucius to stiffen visibly as a consequence of being called a death eater. The venom that he showed might have contributed to the tension, despite the fact he was not particularly angry. "I know that you claim you're a spy, but how do I know that you're not lying. I need proof of everything you say, before I can even think of you as something other than the enemy." 

Again, Lucius failed to react badly to Harry's comments, despite his initial tense reaction. This was because he had been expecting the exact same attitude and had prepared the response to it. "As I was saying," Lucius continued in his previous tone, giving Harry a stern look that showed his dismay at being interrupted. Apart from these four words he simply ignored Harry's comments and simply carried on with what he had been saying. "Given the newness if your position, your caution is both understandable and justifiable, especially when our previous misunderstandings are taken into consideration. That is why I have decided to aid the acceptance process by showing you the proofs for my previous explanations. 

If Lucius' strange attitude had been unexpected then this pronouncement was a complete surprise to Harry. Not that he showed it or at least he tried to hide the shock as much as he could. "Go on then, show me the evidence," he said, his surprise just about showing through the emotionless mask that he was trying to erect to disguise his feelings. 

The response was to indicate a small bowl that Lucius had placed in Harry's desk without the Gryffindor noticing. He recognised it instantly as a pensieve containing memories, presumably those of Lucius. "It will be better for you to view these memories alone. I will be here when you come out to answer any questions," Lucius explained, making it sound as much like an order as an explanation. Harry walked over to the table holding the pensieve from where he had been lying in his bed. 

The moment Harry touched the silvery liquid he was pulled into an ornately decorated room in Malfoy Manor. From the furniture, it appeared to be a formal lounge or a drawing room of some kind. Whilst he may not have recognised the room, he instantly knew the identities of its two occupants. His mother, who clearly looked as though she was pregnant with him, sat on a comfortable looking green armchair by the fireplace. Lucius stood on the other side of the fireplace looking regretfully at Lilly. 

"I can't carry on with this anymore," Harry's mother was saying softly, sounding full of regret. Lucius showed no reaction to disturb the steady gaze that he directed at the woman in the chair. Harry presumed that 'this' was the affair his mother had conducted with Lucius, leading to his own birth. 

"I presume that Potter has run back to you now that Aranel Spencer has disappeared," he stated objectively. He sounded so objective that it was obvious his emotionlessness was a cover for disapproval. That his gaze showed a hint of this disapproval only confirmed Harry's suspicions and made Lucius' views on the issue under discussion perfectly clear. 

Lilly smiled softly, looking at her lover warmly, even though she was clearly in the process of breaking up with him. "I know you don't approve Lucius," she pleaded, sighing regretfully, "But I am his wife, despite all the bad things that he's done to me. He's hurting. His parents have just and he's a total wreck. Bastard or not, he needs me to there for him." 

Lucius nodded glumly, resigning himself to the end of their relationship. "He doesn't deserve it, but it is your duty," he said, his smirk having just a hint of wryness about it, the cause of which Harry knew nothing about. "I'm not going to stop you." Lilly smiled even more, tension that Harry hadn't even noticed vanishing into thin air. All the emotion on Lucius' face disappeared too, to be replaced by a seriousness that promised strong consequences if the Malfoy Patriarch's Will was denied. The edge in his voice reflected this change in emotion. "If anything happens to you or your baby, however, I will be holding Potter personally responsible." 

"I'm not some defenceless maiden, Lucius," Lilly goggled, sounding a little bit offended by the implication of his remarks. "I can take care of myself." 

"Normally you can," Lucius agreed. He wandered over to the red head in the armchair and sat on one of the arms in the chair, before pulling Lilly into a hug, "But normally you're not five months pregnant. Things are a little different at the moment." 

Lilly grimaced a little before agreeing with Lucius. "I know," she admitted half-heartedly, "But James will look after me as well as you can. His friends will make sure of it." Lucius looked doubtful, an expression which caused Lilly to laugh. "Don't look so sceptical," she said sounding amused, "He may be selfish, but he is a Gryffindor too." 

"I don't care," Lucius snapped, the fierce passion in his eyes exactly reflecting the emotion in his voice. "You and your baby are part of my family. Your safety and well being are my responsibility. If anything happens to you I will blame myself." 

The smile on Lilly's face broadened into a sweet grin, which looked a little too loving for Harry's taste, "Lucius, you silly fool," she chirped, "You can't be there all the time, nor can you control everything. I am my own woman with free will." 

Lucius looked as though he was having none of it. "I made a promise to protect you, Lilly and I mean to keep it, whatever it takes and whatever you think," he said sternly. 

"You made a promise to protect our baby and I from You-Know-Who not from James or from the general public," she said severely, while trying to look down at Lucius in a chastising manner, even though he towered above her. He responded equally sternly, clearly giving the impression that he was not going to back down. 

He didn't see anymore because the scene in front of him changed the ornate drawing room faded away to be replaced by a moderately sized office with a large desk as its centrepiece. He stood behind the desk, next to Lucius, who sat in his large carved desk chair, looking down at the small house elf who stood fearfully in front of him. Harry recognised the house elf to be Dobby. The year was given away by the Malfoy family photo on Lucius' desk, in which an eleven year old Draco and twelve year old Lucas stood at the centre. He knew what was going on before Lucius had even began to order the house elf. 

"Harry is not to return to Hogwarts," Lucius ordered strictly, his gaze causing Dobby to cower slightly, "I will not risk having him harmed by the heir or his monster. I made a promise to protect him and I intend to keep it." 

The house elf nodded eagerly at his orders, showing his obsession with the on looking Gryffindor, which included sharing Lucius' desire that he wasn't to be harmed. This was a point followed up Lucius, when he extracted a promise from the house elf, which knew would be broken. "But I want you to promise not to harm Harry, while doing this." Unsurprisingly the house elf swore eagerly, despite his later attempts to give Harry a crippling injury. 

**

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**

Sigh! I had hoped to release a chapter every two weeks or so, but distractions intervened, not least the fact that I only got my home internet connection back on Thursday. I am going to try harder, but I can't guarantee anything except that this story will be finished. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 11, your reviews and your patience were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	14. Names

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 15th December 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 13: TRUTHS 

The scene in the pensieve changed yet again, although the location remained the same. Whilst the location was nearly identical, with only the more recent family photo giving away the change in time period, Lucius, however, looked completely different. It wasn't that Lucius had changed significantly in appearance, for he had not, merely that the look on his face was foreign to Harry's conception of his father. He was sitting at his desk slouching sloppily. His wild uncombed hair and the bags under his eyes only emphasised this strange and unusual lack of concern for his appearance. It wasn't this that shocked Harry to the core nor the obvious lack of sleep instead, it was the haunted look etched on the Malfoy patriarch's face. It was a look that Harry associated with suicide or all consuming fear, both of which were alien to Harry's conception of Lucius, as the blond was too arrogant. 

It seemed as though Harry stared at the pitiful sight of the figure at the desk for an eternity until the office door opened and an angry looking Narcissa Malfoy strode in. She made no obvious immediate reaction to her husband's depression. 

"Lucius Colubra Malfoy," she screamed, her angry gaze offering no pity or sympathy for her husband's condition, "Will you please pull yourself together and stop acting like a half-witted muggle five year old." 

It was a tone would have expected Narcissa to use to address her extremely domineering husband, at least if, like Harry, you believed her public image as a beautiful and docile show wife. Whatever the inaccuracy of her public image, her anger clearly had an effect, although it may not have been as strong a reaction as she had expected. It visibly galvanised Lucius into anger, causing him to stiffen and sit up straight. His face twisted into a scowl, albeit a particularly weak and half-hearted one that clearly showed his depression. 

"Why should 1?" he snapped in reply, his fatalism clearly evident in more than just the meekness of his anger. 

"Why? Because you have an important meeting with the Neufchâtels in twenty minutes, that could seal the Chateau Maillard deal. Janus is going to be briefing you on the latest Dark Arts Act this afternoon and most significantly the minister is coming to dinner this evening!" she shouted sternly, her glare of betrayal, anger and disgust only deepening, even if her tone had retained it's same ice cold quality that had marked her previous words. 

This time her words had no effect as his eyes and face still retained the mournful despair that was laced with his anger at being disturbed. "Does it matter?" he asked, causing Narcissa to glare even more fiercely, this expression was soon wiped off her face momentarily by his next comment though. "He's back. We're ruined and I'm no longer a free man, just like before. You know what he's like; I have to do what I'm told." The despair on his face deepened as the topic of his musings turned to Harry, who was still watching with a morbid fascination that had been roused by Lucius' current condition. "Lord! What about if he asks me to harm Harry? I would rather die. That is if I could even hurt my own flesh and blood…" Amidst the despair and half heartedness the firmness with which Lucius expressed those last comments surprised Harry, it certainly sounding the only thing that he truly meant. What made it even more surprising was that Lucius was expressing what he truly thought, laying his soul bare rather than saying what he thought his wife or anybody else wanted to hear. His remarks continued for a little bit longer, until Lucius made a comment about going into hiding that brought his wife's wrath upon him. 

"Lucius Colubra Malfoy," Narcissa exclaimed sounding horrified. Harry wasn't sure whether her horror was a result of the dark lord's return or Lucius' reaction to it, he soon found out that it was the later. "The dark lord's return does not provide you with an excuse to duck your responsibilities as head of one of the leading pureblood families. You opposed him before and you can do it again," As her rant went on the initial horror was replaced by the same ice-cold anger that she had been displaying previously. "You complain about to your son yet you do not think of helping him…." 

Once again, some true emotion slipped through Lucius' mask of overwhelming despair. It appeared that Narcissa's last comment had offended Lucius. "How can I?" he snapped heatedly, "If I stand up to the dark lord about Harry, I'll be killed without having helped Harry. At least if I stand aside only one of us dies." Needless to say Harry was less than impressed by this comment, but then so was Narcissa, who responded to it with even more anger. 

"If you don't protect Harry who will?" she asked rhetorically. "The same ministry who probably won't even acknowledge the dark lord's return? That old fool Dumbledore and his useless Order of the Phoenix? My cousin, the convicted criminal who is on the run from both the ministry and the dark lord? The Weasley Family? You are his only chance Lucius. If you can not protect him by spying then nobody can and he has no chance of resisting, let alone defeating, the power of the dark lord." 

"I know that," Lucius responded, torn between his previous despair and a sense of resignation, the origin of which Harry was unsure about. "It's just that I could not live with myself if I failed him, like I did with his mother. I can't do it, Narcissa, I'm not powerful enough to stand up to him." 

Needless to say Narcissa was far from sympathetic and even less impressed with Lucius' response and, like Harry, interpreted it for what it really was – a sign of cowardice. "You were before, Lucius," she snapped angrily. The fact that your two sons are no longer babies changes nothing. You have a duty to protect your family, Lucius, from the manipulations of people like Voldemort. If you die whilst doing so, than at least you die honourably whilst upholding everything that is great about Slytherin and the Malfoy Family. Or would you rather be remembered as a weak coward who nearly destroyed the family through his loyalties to a murderous maniac." 

This time Narcissa's comments did have the desired effect on her husband. Any traces of despair, depression, resignation or anger disappeared to replaced by a fierce, fiery determination that consumed him. The complete transformation in attitude surprised Harry, like most things to do with his father. It wasn't the change in emotion with Narcissa's talk of reputation he had been expecting a change, but so suddenly or to the degree that had actually occurred. Whilst, from past experience, he knew that Lucius could be moody, he hadn't seen it happen to this degree. "You're right. Harry needs me," he said firmly. "I have to help him, just like I did his mother. I may have failed her but I will not do so with our son. I promised Lilly that I would protect him and protect him I will – at all costs." The passion in his voice was unmistakable – he truly meant what he was saying. 

That was the last Harry saw of Lucius' memories as he found himself back in his bedroom in Malfoy Manor with Lucius standing next to him, looking completely unaffected by the fact that Harry had just seen some of his memories. There was a moment of silence, whilst Harry processed what he had just seen, before he opened his mouth and asked the first question, by that stage it was apparent that Lucius was not going to be the first to speak. 

"Is that why I'm here? Because of the promise you made to protect my mother and I and the guilt you feel because you failed her?" Lucius made no reaction to Harry's question or to the vicious tone in which it was asked. Harry took the silence to indicate that he was right. "Then on behalf of my mother I relieve you of her promise to protect me. I don't need your 'protection', Malfoy, I can survive perfectly well without it." 

"My promise to your mother is irrelevant," Lucius stated calmly in response. Surprisingly he sounded unaffected by his son's anger, but then the fact Harry had just seen some of his memories might have had an effect too. "You are my son, Harry. It is my duty as a father to protect you, whether you want me to or not." 

"Do you think that I want you to be my father?" Harry snapped back in reply. "I don't need you and I want anything to do, with you. I wish none of this had ever happened and, " he continued raising his voice even more, "above all I wish that James Potter was my father." 

He didn't wait for a reply from Lucius or even wait to see how he would react, because he stormed out of the room, leaving a stone faced Lucius feeling slightly shaken by the intensity of his son's anger. The blond man, however, was not overly concerned by the reaction though, despite its intensity as he drew comfort from Harry's words or more precisely the lack of them on certain topics. It was clear to him that at least seeing his pensieve had removed any doubts in his son's mind regarding his good intentions. 

Several Hours later, Harry made his way to the back entrance to the manor grounds. It was there that he had arranged to meet one of his friends, what he didn't expect though, was for Remus to be there too. 

"Remus!" Harry cried happily upon seeing the werewolf, "What are you doing here?" 

It wasn't Remus who answered though. "I asked him to come here, because there's something I want to tell you both." The person Harry had actually arranged to meet replied. He was a tall boy with long black hair and was about Harry's age. He was also one of Harry's housemates, even if he wasn't entirely sure which, although Harry did have his suspicions. 

"I know as much as you, Harry," Remus commented sounding mystified and slightly concerned, while also answering the question that Harry was about to ask. "But how are you Harry? I hope Malfoy isn't treating you badly." 

"No, he just won't stop bugging me," Harry responded bitterly. The memories of his earlier argument with Lucius and the pensieve that preceded it were still fresh. "He seems to think I should like him, when all I want is for none of this to have happened and for James Potter to be father." 

Remus smiled sympathetically, obviously emphasising with Harry's predicament, "You've just got to make the best of what you've been given though. As much as you want to you can't change the fact that you're related to Malfoy, so you're stuck with him." 

"I know," Harry said with an air of resignation, " I just wish he wasn't such a git. Still, his father is worse, he doesn't leave him alone." He continued, indicating his friend, who seemed to tense up at the mention of his father, just as he usually did. 

"Oh?" Remus exclaimed inquisitively, "You didn't tell me that Aranel had married." 

Harry's friend tensed up even more, he looked extremely uncomfortable discussing his front of Remus. Harry for his part was thoroughly confused by Remus' reaction and had no idea about what Remus was talking about. The fact that he couldn't place where he had previously heard the name 'Aranel' only added to his confusion. His friend certainly hadn't used the name, but then he never referred to his birth mother by name, unlike Olessë, his mother's husband. 

"He means James not Olessë," His friend replied sounding simultaneously firm and nervous. Remus looked at the boy with a mixture of confusion; suspicion and above all anger clouded his face, which immediately made Harry guess who the James his friend referred to was. It was a theory, which certainly made sense, if only, because it fitted in with where he had the name Aranel before. It also brought about the exact same reaction upon Harry that Remus had experienced, although unlike the werewolf he couldn't control his anger. 

"You're telling me that not only is James Potter alive, but that he let his own best friend spend thirteen years in Azkaban, as well as leave me with the Dursleys!" Harry roared angrily, anger consuming him as it so often seemed to. "I knew your father is a bastard, but this is just evil." 

The boy in front of him just nodded, "I told you he was selfish bastard." he said unhappily, regret but no anger showing in his voice. His lack of denial was sufficient conformation for Remus to gasp in astonishment. 

"How?" He cried breathlessly, the hard edge to his voice unmistakably anger. However, his bewilderment was equally as audible "I was at his funeral. I saw his dead body. How can he be alive." 

"The same way I did," The boy explained, sounding unaffected by either person's reaction, although, Harry was surprised to note that his anxiousness had only diminished slightly. "It's a flaw in the elfin teleportation spell, its something to do with the killing curse separating the human and elfin sides of a half-elf, and the elfin side surviving because we elves are immune to the unforgivables. Mother knows more, she was the one who explained it to me." The werewolf made no reaction; he seemed to have gone into an angry trance. 

"Elf!" Harry exclaimed. He had worked out that the boy in front of him must have been an elf because both of his parents were half-elfin, but to actually hear it from the boy himself astonished him, anyway. 

"Yeah, it shocked me too," the boy, who Harry now knew was, Caranthir, James Potters son, commented blithely, "I mean I was shocked enough when Sirius told me that I wasn't fully human. But, to become fully elfin after saving you from You-Know-Who was extremely weird. I mean not only was in a state of shock for several days, but it also felt like I was possessing someone else, because the elfin body is so different to my half-human one." 

"Sirius?" Harry queried, whilst simultaneously feeling happy and grateful for the confirmation that his friend had been the one to save him. He didn't comment about it though, because he was pretty sure from the casual way Harry's near death was mentioned, that his friend regarded his actions as an integral part of their friendship and saw no need for the young blond haired Malfoy to bring it up. 

"He was the one who put me in contact with my birth mother," Caranthir replied. "He also told me about you too, or at least that you weren't a Potter, even if he refused to mention the Malfoys. I think he knew that you were better off without them." 

"I could be worse off," Harry responded, defending Lucius, much to the surprise of Caranthir, Remus and the two elves that Caranthir knew were spying on them under the cover of invisibility charms, one of them much to the young elf's disgust. "I mean at least Malfoy isn't trying to harm me, even if I can't really trust him." 

"But, Harry," Caranthir protested, refusing to believe that his friend meant what he was saying, "This is Malfoy we're talking about. You know, evil death eater extraordinaire, who killed Sirius and tried to kill you just a few weeks ago." 

It wasn't the Potter turned Malfoy who responded though, because one of the two eavesdroppers made themselves known, causing three sets of hostile glares to be sent towards the tall, elfin form of a man Remus immediately recognised, despite his changed appearance, as being James Potter. "I told you son that the Malfoys had corrupted him. A few weeks ago, he wasn't on their side," the elfin Marauder said in a fatherly tone, that succeeded only in making both and Harry see red, "If you want your friend back, then you have to make sure he comes with Caranthir me or else he'll be lost to the light forever." 

The response of James' son was simple: he drew his wand and pointed it at his father, "Over my dead body," he hissed vehemently. Needless to say, Harry had drawn his wand too. 

Rather than making his way towards Harry, so as to grab his wife's son and teleport away with him, James looked towards his old friend, Remus, only to find the distrustful and hostile glare of a friend who he had lost contact with after his supposed death. 

"No," Remus said firmly, instantly picking up the meaning of Potter's glare, "I will not help a man who left his innocent best friend rot in Azkaban, nor, will I help the man who let his adopted son live with a family of neglectful, magic-hating muggles for fifteen years." 

James' reaction to these comments surprised Remus, Caranthir and Harry because of their vehemence. "I did not leave Sirius to rot in Azkaban. I may not have been able to free him but I tried my hardest to make sure he stayed sane, by removing all the anti-magic wards surrounding his cell and giving him enough chocolate to heal himself from the dementors effects," he protested hotly, losing his composure at the allegation that he betrayed his best friend. 

"Why didn't you free him," Remus responded, the firmness of his tone and intensity of his glare remaining undiminished. 

"I was supposed to be dead!" James thundered, "The ministry wouldn't have believed who I was, let alone my story and Sirius refused to let me help him escape. I may have deserted you, but I would never ever do anything to hurt Sirius." 

"Fine," Remus admitted grudgingly, even if his anger and distrust of his former friend refused to diminish. He hadn't truly believed Caranthir, when he had reported that James had betrayed Sirius, as the prospect of such a betrayal seemed ridiculous given the closeness of their relationship. True, James was a bastard to everyone else, even to Remus at times, but never to Sirius. It was this same fact that meant that he would not allow James to get his hands on Harry, a point he made perfectly clear. 

James made no vocal response to the lack of aid. Instead, he made to stun Caranthir and Remus, before whisking Harry away to the safety of James' home, where the corrupting influences of the Malfoys could be purged from the boy. What he reckoned without though was the anti magic field surrounding him, cast by a woman who had been a thorn in his side ever since she had ran away with their two month old baby son sixteen years ago. 

"Caranthir warned me that you might do this, so I came here to stop you," the woman, who happened to be Caranthir's mother, said fiercely, before launching into a lecture on the rights and wrongs of stealing other peoples children, not that he paid any attention to it. Instead, he bitterly watched as Caranthir and Harry disappeared off into the distance and sneered as Remus wandered away in the opposite direction. By the time Harry returned to Malfoy Manor, James was sitting in an elfin detention cell accused of attempting to kidnap both Caranthir and Harry. 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

I told you I couldn't guarantee anything except that this story would be finished. Still, a month and a half is a bit excessive. I should be able to write a couple of chapters over christmas, but after that updates will as be sporadic as they have been. It's just that I have been busy since the end of June and consequently I have had little time to write. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 12, your reviews and your patience were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	15. Defiance

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 29th December 2003 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 14: DEFIANCE 

The days following Harry's insight viewing of Lucius' pensieve passed without much controversy. Lucius had recommenced Harry's Occulumency lessons the very next day, although only after Harry had promised not to use Legilimency against without permission. Although, Harry's father had promised to teach Harry how to be a proper Legilimens. Just like Snape though, Lucius was a hard taskmaster, although unlike Snape, he was a fair teacher as well. As such, Harry was actually beginning to learn something, although having daily lessons certainly aided his progress. 

The other significant event of that tumultuous day, Harry's encounter with the alive James Potter, had a far dramatic effect than his insight into Lucius' past. Whilst his patchy knowledge of James Potter, had hardly endeared Harry to the man he had called his father for so long, their meeting had shifted his opinions dramatically, by making Harry realise how detestable his mother's husband truly was – to Harry his personality was the combination and magnification of the gravest faults of his Gryffindor housemates. At the same time, the huge burden of anger and resentment he had held against Lucius had effectively crumbled as he began to realise that he could actually trust Lucius to a degree. That didn't mean Harry actually liked his father, merely that he was prepared to tolerate and trust him. 

He had certainly trusted Lucius enough to tell him of the continued existence of James Potter and the threat that Harry though he held. Whilst he had expected Lucius to be angry at Harry's mother, he had not expected the news to send him into a rage of red hot indignation, the intensity of which was easily equal to the hatred against James borne by both Caranthir and Harry. Lucius' solemn vow to kill James Potter on sight was as shocking for its coldness as it was deserved. Lucius, like Harry, regarded James' survival of the attack on Godric's Hollow as well as his subsequent failure to aid Remus and Harry as a betrayal of friends and family, a crime which Lucius regarded as a capital crime. Of course, this reaction to the news surrounding James had only made Harry trust his father even more, it had also made him think that being known as a Malfoy was preferable to being in anyway associated with a man Harry regarded as being little better than Voldemort, whatever the respective public reputations of the Malfoy and Potter families. As it was Harry had decided to dodge the question by changing his name, aided by Lucius' refusal to call him anything else, to Leo Jason Evans. Whilst Lucius had made it clear that he would prefer Harry to bear the Malfoy name, he regarded Harry's use of his mother's maiden name an acceptable alternative. 

"It was the name your mother wanted you to be known by, she thought that Leo was too pretentious," Lucius had responded when Harry had first inquired as to why Lucius had began to call him Jason. This was, of course, before Harry had been any decisions of his own regarding changing his name. 

"That wasn't my question," Harry had replied testily. Lucius had scowled in response, courtesy of his unwillingness to mention of Harry's association with James. 

"James Potter forfeited any rights concerning you on the night he left you and your mother to the mercies of the dark lord. Therefore, I am under no obligation to call you by the name he chose for you, a name that is tainted by his treachery." Lucius had replied his tone fierce and angry. His decision to change his name was made an hour later, his reasons for doing so identical to the ones Lucius had described. The fact that Jason Evans happened not to be the famous 'Boy-Who-Lived' was a bonus. 

However, the tranquillity of life at Malfoy Manor did not last as about ten days after Harry's first Occulumency lesson tragedy struck, when an apprehensive Lucius was summoned to a death meeting, knowing full well that the dark lord had found out that he was a spy. He went anyway and Harry saw the meeting through his scar and its link with Voldemort. 

* * *

"Ah, my ever faithful Lucius," the dark lord hissed as he turned to face the head of the Malfoy family, "the true Slytherin, as slippery as a snake, as cunning as the fox and as honourable and proud as the lion. You would never betray me? Would you?" The question hung in the air, almost gaining a rhetorical air to it. Every single one of the observers, loyal to the dark lord or not, knew exactly what the asking of the question of the question meant, be they, in the masked circle of death eaters, the teenage boy hiding under a invisibility cloak in the corner of the meeting room or the other boy experiencing the events as a vision within the safety of Malfoy Manor. 

"No, my lord," Lucius replied, meeting the dark lord's eyes in what he hoped was a sign of submission. He knew that game was up, hence his lack of other submissive gestures, but he was least going to try and mislead the dark lord into thinking that he was loyal. It didn't work. 

"Really?" The dark lord sneered, his fragile temper showing signs of fraying. "Imagine my reaction to the news that one of the supposedly worthless secrets that you've been feeding the ministry was my plan to obtain the Hogwarts Register in direct disobedience of my orders. Or imagine my surprise when Bletchley informed me that your movement record shows that you aided Snape in stealing Harry Potter from under my nose. Then, of course, there are all those speeches you've been doing, proclaiming your support for those worthless fools in the ministry. Did you honestly think the great Lord Voldemort would fail to notice your pathetic attempts at spying." 

There was a moment of silence, as the angry red eyed glare of the dark lord bore into the blond haired spy. During which the later tried to surpress his fears and carry out his intended course of action, despite all the risks it involved. To the observers the tension was unbearable, especially for the spy's eldest son, who was hiding in the corner of the room, torn between overwhelming fear for his father's safety and his loyalty to the dark lord's cause. 

Then the spy confidently stepped forward and tore the bone white death eater off his face, his eyes and voice burning with the aristocratic pride and fierce hatred that he had used to surpress his fears. "I thought you would find me out eventually," Lucius responded, speaking in a fierce, fearless manner that the death eaters had only heard once before against their master, by Harry Potter. "I was never as good a spy as Severus. I had too much at stake, a family to protect. Severus had none of those, he wasn't even afraid of dying. That's why I always used first Montaron and then Severus as an intermediary for my spying. It was easier and safer, because if you found out about them then there would be someone else to take their place. I wasn't the only one who passed on information to Severus though; we all did, just as we still do. Of course, they were all too weak and cowardly to take it one step further," Lucius continued dismissively, "which meant that I had to take over when Severus was forced to reveal himself." 

The red eyes turned away from the unmasked traitor with his confidant manner and proud bearing to the ranks of masked followers who cowered as their master's gaze, he didn't need to be a Legilimens to detect their fear and guilt – it was obvious even to the casual observer. Once the traitor had been dealt with, Voldemort made a mental note to dish out some severe punishments to the remaining death eaters, ones they would not forget in a hurry. "You surprise me Lucius," Voldemort commented blandly, his anger failing to seep into his voice. He knew better than to try to intimidate the Malfoy Patriarch, it didn't work, "I would have expected you to try and lie your way out of trouble." 

Lucius made no reaction, as the dark lord's assessment was reasonable: in situations such as this lying was his normal course of action. "I thought I made it clear that I have a family to protect, Voldemort," Lucius continued, surprising himself when his voice didn't shake with fear when he spoke the dark lord's name, "They need me and for that reason I intend to survive tonight. Besides, I thought you might like to hear the reasons for my actions." 

The dark lord made no reaction, a sign, which Lucius correctly took as permission to carry on with his speech. As far as Voldemort was concerned, nothing the traitor could say would affect his standing among his followers, whilst Lucius' forthcoming death would only serve as a deterrent for any future traitors. More importantly, however, Voldemort wanted to hear Lucius' justifications so as to find other ways ensure that his more independent minded followers did not copy their comrade's actions. 

"I, like many," Lucius said his tone just as dignified and as fearless as it had been previously, "joined you because you promised a crusade against the corrupting influence of mudbloods. I did not expect to find myself, therefore, committing mindless murders of various purebloods, most of them against pureblood families sympathetic to our side. I say 'our side' even though it is clear that our goals and allegiances differ. You bear no concern for the future interest of our world, you bear no allegiance to those of us you wish to maintain the purity of our kind, nor do you bear any allegiance to the goals and ideals of Salazar Slytherin. You claim to be his heir, yet you seek to destroy Hogwarts. You claim to be fulfilling his mission, yet you destroy our kind. You claim to represent our best interests, yet you seek only power, control and murder. What more should we expect from an orphan halfblood, descended from a family of only marginal purity? Why do we expect to care about our world? Why do we expect you to know what is best? Why do we expect you to handle the power that dark magic gives you? Desperation and wishful thinking." Lucius paused momentarily for rhetorical effect; he wasn't speaking to the dark lord, but to the death eaters and to his son, who he presumed was spying on the meeting, presumably with the dark lord's tacit permission. He fully expected and half hoped that Voldemort would interrupt him with an angry refutation that would only prove his point. It didn't happen though. The angry red eyes only focused on the Malfoy patriarch with intense maliciousness that imbued Lucius with fear of his former master. It was only the memory of his family and of Harry's defiance at Voldemort's rebirth that meant this fear did not outwardly affect him. 

"We see the power and influence of Dumbledore and look for a champion. You know this and charm us with your words and rhetoric, assuming that we are too desperate to look beyond them and consider your actions. You presume incorrectly, we merely give you the benefit of the doubt. We aid you in the hope that you will help us in return, once you have amassed the power you seek. You won't and even if you did it would be too late. Too many people would have died; there would be too few people alive to sustain a viable wizarding community. Every dead pureblood only destroys our dream." 

"So, it is a challenge that you seek?" Voldemort hissed the hatred in his tone promising painful death, lengthy torture and complete destruction. "Then I give you a duel against the great Lord Voldemort for the title of the Champion of Slytherin. If you wish to replace me then you must kill me first." The dark lord's features twisted into a dark smile, he evidentially to Voldemort the idea of Lucius winning so unlikely that he found it amusing. 

Lucius accepted without hesitation. He stepped forward and adopted a duelling stance, without waiting for a response from the dark lord, before giving a small bow. Ignoring convention, Voldemort's response was not the reciprocating bow he was supposed to give, but rather the Cruciatus Curse. It hit its target just seconds after Lucius had fired off a spell of his own: an extremely advanced and powerful version of the stunning charm, which also hit its intended target. The pain was blinding and momentary, because he too found himself the victim of a stunning hex, cast by one of the gathered death eaters. The two curses combined to knock unconscious. He awoke about twenty minutes later to find himself sitting in a prison cell, with Antonin Dolohov for company, eager it seemed to ask Lucius a few questions. The next half an hour was literally torture. 

* * *

"Spy on the meeting," she had said upon handing him the invisibility cloak. Where she had got it from Draco had no idea, but its absence would not have stopped him from following Aunt Bella's advice, especially if she knew that something important was going to happen. Of course, none of the other death eater's had regarded the meeting as anything significant, but then they did not have fore knowledge of what would happen. On the other hand, the other death eater's did not share the dark lord's bed. 

The meeting had certainly been significant, and eye opening too. The results of it had also caused him a significant amount of angst and worry, although the former had disappeared after a brief talk with his aunt, that had cleared any hint of conflicting loyalties from his mind. It was precisely because of this meeting that the young Malfoy heir found himself in the gloom filled corridors of the converted cellar storerooms that served as the dark lord's dungeons. Most of the cells were empty, but those that weren't held worthless muggle trash that was beneath his concern and generally served as toys for the dark lord's most sadistic followers and as practice dummies for the rest. Then there was his father – the traitor – held in the only proper prison cell, in the deepest and darkest part of the dungeons with only a guard and a candle for company. He was surprised to notice that the guard was human rather than Dementor. 

"Are you here to see your father?" the guard asked him as he approached. He may have been masked but Draco recognised the voice as belonging to Julius Flint, who was a close personal friend of his father, who Draco knew could be trusted. Upon Draco's nod he unlocked the door and let Draco inside, he didn't lock the door again though as he was supposed to. Not that his father would have tried to escape, unless Draco had already incapacitated all the guards in the dungeons, especially Lacetter who guarded the entrance to the dungeons. As it was his father, who was sitting regally upon the dungeon floor, looking as if he were a honoured guest rather than a prisoner, merely gave a polite thank you to Flint as Draco entered, but then he'd only been a prisoner for an hour. 

"Hello Father," Draco said curtly as the door closed, "I trust you are being treated well." 

"With Dolohov and Lacetter as hosts, I think not," Lucius retorted casually, "But then the dark lord hardly provides a good example." Despite his predicament, it seemed that Draco's father was still in good spirits, or at least he was happy enough to make a wry references to Dolohov's sadistic insanity and the awful parties that the Lacetter's insisted on inflicting on the wizarding world every summer. The other wry reference, to the dark lord, shocked Draco though. 

There was a moment's tense pause as Draco waited for his father to say something more, except that he didn't, indicating that he wasn't quite as laid back and as confidant as he appeared to be. Most probably, Draco thought, because he wanted to know where his son's loyalties lay. 

Reluctantly, therefore, Draco spoke first. Normally he would have refused to back down, but now was not the time to be engaged in a battle of wills with his father. "You certainly gave an impressive performance, father," he said, careful to keep his voice neutral in case one of the more fanatical duty guards was spying on them, "I think you convinced a few people of your case, not that this changes anything between you and I, you understand. You, as Aunt Bella quite eloquently described stated, are a 'dangerous and corrupt worm.'" There was, of course, the risk in trying to be opaque that not even his father would fail to understand his true meaning. Fortunately, despite the lack of verbal reaction, his father's facial expression showed that such concerns were groundless, the slight smirk and the barely disguised look of pride could only indicate total comprehension. There was, however, an evident expectation that Draco would impose conditions upon his previous words. Such an expectation was inaccurate; to Draco familial support was unconditional 

"I am not here to discuss the nature of our falling out, father," he continued, trying to ease his father's concerns, without lying, bending the truth or being too explicit in his support, "That issue has been resolved, but here and now is not the place to discuss it." Indeed, he had received a letter that very morning detailing the successful resolution of his appeal against his low OWL results, detailing among other things that the minister had asked Dolores Umbridge to investigate the whole fiasco. He was sure heads would roll considering his results had been upgraded to 4 Os, 3 Es and 2 As, still below par but sufficiently high enough to be accounted for by a bad week, and in several cases, bad teaching. 

"You shall be returning then?" His father asked, in the same neutral tone Draco was using. There was no need to add any particular reason for a return visit. That it would be a rescue was understood and deliberately not mentioned. 

"Of course," Draco responded as his father got up from the cold, stone floor. There were no hugs or handshakes, there were no need of such things to mark their reconciliation, just understanding and familial love of an intensity that surprised both Lucius and Draco. 

Without a word, Draco turned and walked out if his father's cell. In that one shared moment of complete Draco's future had been irrevocably changed. Old dreams had been destroyed, leaving only one certainty: a promise had been made, one which Draco would literally do anything to keep. 

**

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**

I suppose some of you might call that ending a cliffhanger, but its not, I'm merely being a little cryptic. The next chapter should be out soon, I've already got half of it written and the rest is planned out. 

One reviewer made a comment about Harry's looks. Just to remind people, Harry's appearance changed in the first few chapters. I didn't say it in the actual chapter, but his new appearance is his true appearance. I'll say a little more about this issue in the next couple of chapters. 

Another reviewer mentionned the Snake Healer side of the story. I haven't mentionned it much until now because Harry has had no interest in improving the slytherin's reputations. However, as Harry begins to trust his family more and more this will become an issue, particularly after Harry goes to Diagon Alley. 

Next, whilst Harry has decided to use his real name in this chapter, for simplicity I shall still be calling him Harry in the narrative. The other characters, however, shall be referring to him as either 'Leo' or 'Jason' from this point onwards. I shall discuss this issue more in the author's notes to the next chapter. 

Finally, a few words for those also reading my other WIP 'On Two Lords and a Prince'. I have not given up on that fic, I am merely prioritising this one and will be doing so for the forseeable future. However, I will update oTLaaP after I have released the next chapter of this story. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 13, your reviews and your patience were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	16. Rescue

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 2nd January 2004 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 15: RESCUE 

"Potter!" A familiar voice shouted desperately as the voice's owner burst into Harry's room at top speed, catching Harry completely by surprise. The intruder stopped to regain his breath before continuing. "Father's been imprisoned by the dark lord. I need your help to rescue him." 

"Do you really want to rescue him, or is this some plot to give me to Voldemort?" Harry queried distrustfully, he knew that Luicus had been imprisoned because he had seen the meeting himself, but he did not trust his Slytherin rival to betray Voldemort. As far as Harry was concerned, his half brother was loyal to the dark lord. 

The look on Draco's face, however, answered all of Harry's doubts, as it mixed utter horror with a deadly sense of determination. It wasn't so much the idea of betraying Potter to the Dark Lord that offended Draco, even if such an action was against the express wishes of his father, but the idea of not aiding his father, especially after having promised to do so, that caused the look of horror. "My previous sympathies are irrelevant. My loyalty to my father overrides everything else, even my loyalty to Aunt Bella," Draco hissed vehemently, fully expressing the anger that Harry's doubts had provoked. The intensity of the response was not lost on Harry. "My father is a prisoner and in grave danger. It is my duty as his son and heir to aid him in every way I can." 

"Fine, you want to rescue Lucius," Harry responded grudgingly, "But how do I know you won't betray me to Voldemort after you've rescued him? I mean surely you'll want to get back in Voldemort's good books after having rescued him?" He was more than willing to believe that Draco would put his family before anything else, after all Lucius held the same opinion, but Harry doubted that Draco viewed him as family. 

"The dark lord can go to hell for all I care. His opinion of me is of little consequence as I have no intention of betraying father by joining him." Draco responded angrily, his face twisted into the same vicious sneer as before, whilst his voice retained the air of finality that had permeated it previously. 

"So I can trust you?" Harry queried; he just wanted to be absolutely sure that his school rival would not betray him if their prospective rescue attempt didn't go as planned. 

Draco was less than impressed with Harry's scepticism. "Potter!" he growled irritably, "Can you get into that thick head of yours that as much as I dislike you I am not about to hand you over to the dark lord. I give you my word on that. Now can we please get down to rescuing father? Time is of the essence." 

"Certainly," Harry replied, now that Malfoy had actually promised not to turn on him he was more than willing to help, provided one or two issues were resolved first. "But you can start by refraining from insulting me and actually calling me by my name for once. If we're to work together, we could at least be polite to one another." 

Draco's eyebrows shot upwards at Harry's comment. He was more than intelligent enough to grasp the implication of his rival's words, "To do that. I would need to know your name." He commented blandly, he was not going to get his hopes up that his enemy had finally seen some sense. 

"Leo Jason Evans," Harry explained in response, "I'm not quite ready to be known as a Malfoy, but I'm damned if I'm going to called something I'm not, especially if it's the son of James Potter." 

"Fair enough," Draco commented. That his half-brother was even willing to regard himself as being related to the Malfoy family, was a pleasant surprise for Draco. It also meant that Potter, or Leo as he was now called, could be trusted at lot than he had previously thought. "Now lets get going, as it will just the two of us the sooner we act the more likely we are to succeed." He turned to leave the room, but was called back. 

"Wait a minute," Harry called. Draco turned around to see the Gryffindor digging through his trunk, "If it's just going to be us, we'll be needing this." The Slytherin sneered with impatience at the delay, but his expression changed when he saw the object that his school enemy had been looking for. He had not expected Potter to possess an invisibility cloak, despite his surprise he was also pleased: a third invisibility cloak, to go along with the one in father's office and the one Bella had loaned to him, would come in useful. 

* * *

It was only a few minutes later that Draco and an invisibility cloak clad Harry tumbled out of the fireplace in the Lestranges' Apartments. Fortunately, neither Bellatrix nor Rodolphus were anywhere to be seen. Assuming that husband and wife were asleep, the two boys made sure to be quiet, despite Draco's assurances that Rodolphus was a heavy sleeper and that Bellatrix never slept in her bed anyway. After having grabbed his invisibility cloak, which he then passed onto Harry for him to keep along with his father's, Draco strode out of the apartment, schooling his features so as to look as calm as possible. Harry followed behind, trying to be as quiet as possible. Whilst they did not expect to run into any death eaters, especially not on the upper levels of the manor, neither boy wanted to take any risks. As far as finding their father was concerned, getting past the dementors posted in the dungeons presented no problems, because they could not distinguish Harry from a death eater. 

As it was they did not encounter anybody, dementor or human, until they sensed the cold aura of the dementors as they approached the stairs down to the dungeons. Harry stopped moving the moment he felt the dementors' presence, even from such a distance he began to feel himself weaken. He called quietly for Draco to stop too, but his call was drowned by the call of another. 

"Draco, wait," the voice called, the blond Slytherin recognised it instantly as belonging to someone he could trust, so he stopped walking. If it had been Dolohov or one of the Lestranges he would have ran, but whilst Marcus Flint was fanatical about quidditch, his opinion of the dark lord was far from magnanimous. 

"What do you want, Marcus?" Draco asked, his impatience and nerves making him snap gruffly. 

"Father thought you might want these," the former Slytherin explained as he approached his former teammate. He handed Draco, a familiar looking wand and a small cloth bag that he knew contained a portkey as well as what looked like a set of keys, "Oh, father says not to worry about having to fight friendlies. We've all gone home and we won't come if he summons us to hunt your father down. Just give me a few minutes to get out of here." Without waiting for a thank you, Flint turned and ran back from where he had come, heading, Draco presumed, to the apparition point. 

Draco soon moved on too, without waiting for Harry. The Gryffindor, however, waited for a but longer whilst he concentrated his mind on resisting the effects of the dementors using a simple Occulumency trick that Draco had taught him. Moments later he hurried on after his half-brother, following him down the stone staircase that led to the dungeons. 

As expected the dementors swarmed around the dungeon entrance. There were also various dementors wandering up and down the corridors past the storerooms that seemed to serve as cells. One or two of the prisoners had dementors posted outside their cells as guards. Overall, the number of dementors gathered in such a small space meant that having to force their way past them, once Lucius had been freed, was going to be an almost impossible task. Not that Harry considered this, as he was too busy trying to keep the memory of his mother's death from flooding into his mind and overpowering with the overwhelming despair that inevitably lead to unconsciousness. Harry followed Draco as the Slytherin strode past all these guards without a second glance, concerned only with reaching their father's cell, which was right at the back of the complex. 

The number of patrolling guards thinned as they get nearer, but then so did the number of prisoners, until they reached the two dementors stationed on either side of the iron barred door that was their destination. "You were quick," Lucius commented as Draco strode up to the door. The presence of the two dementors seemed to have no effect on him, but both Harry and Draco knew that was merely a facade. "I expected you to take an hour not twenty minutes, but then I didn't expect you to come alone." 

"He's not," Harry stated, pulling the hood of his invisibility cloak from off his head. He stood several yards behind Draco, but moved forward momentarily to pass the two extra invisibility cloaks he had been holding before moving back. 

"Good," Lucius replied looking at Harry, before turning to give orders to both boys, "Give Jason my portkey, it activates by touch. I know two you came by Floo but the apparition point is nearer. You can also portkey out from the throne room, which is to your left as you exit the dungeons. I trust you know that the dark lord can see through invisibility cloaks." 

"Leave Voldemort to me. I'll try and catch him in a priori incantatam; he's not expecting me so it should work. Once you've escaped I'll head for the throne room" Harry answered, as Draco, who was now clad in an invisibility cloak, handed him a portkey, before giving the remaining invisibility cloak to their father. He still held Lucius' wand though, passing that through the bars would set off an alarm. 

"Fine. We'll draw the death eaters off you, to give you room to escape. There shouldn't be that many around," Lucius responded, he didn't sound entirely happy with the plan, but as it was the only one they had he wasn't going to veto it. 

The alarm went off the moment Lucius stepped outside his cell. The dementors moved towards Lucius as he sprinted past them, up the corridor. He was far out of their reach by the time started following. He didn't even slow as he grabbed his wand out of Draco's hands. Harry and Draco followed him up the corridor, the former bellowing, "Expecto Patronum," after they had gone a few yards. Neither of the boys nor Lucius took much notice of the form the Patronus took, they merely followed close behind ghostly figure as it scattered the lines of dementors that had gathered to block the corridor ahead of them. 

"Expecto Patronum," A different, older voice bellowed as the three Malfoys first caught sight of the stone staircase that lead to the upper floors. Another Patronus burst forth, this time from Lucius' wand, and joined its ghostly kin in scattering the flood of dementors that seemed to fill every corner of the three corridors that joined at the stairwell. That the combined effects of the gathered dementors began to affect Harry, causing him to weaken, was ignored by all, even Harry. All the three men were concerned about was running desperately along the path that their patroni had carved for them amongst the endless sea of dementors that the patroni had scattered away from them. 

There were no breaths of relief as they reached the staircase, leaving the last dementor behind them, as the chase was not over, merely one of the most nerve-wracking parts of it. They all knew that these vile soul-sucking beasts would persue them until Voldemort ordered them not to. What they did not expect was that such an order would come at the top of the staircase. For it was there, at the top of the staircase leading to the dungeons, that the escaping trio encountered the dark lord and the small coterie of death eaters that accompanied him. Needless to say, the dark lord's entourage was caught completely by surprise when their master stopped suddenly, for they as both Voldemort and the Malfoys had expected, could not see the escaping trio. 

"They're here. Lucius, his brat and one other. Kill them." Voldemort sneered to his death eaters as the three Malfoys froze upon seeing the man they had wanted to avoid. They weren't particularly afraid of the small party in front of them, except possibly Draco, who as at the back of the party posed to run the moment the death eaters were distracted, having adopted such a position through fear. Lucius though had intentionally ducked behind Harry, setting up his younger son as the obvious target for any curse that might be sent in their direction. 

Voldemort, who assumed that all three had frozen in fear, fell for the trap that Harry and Lucius had created. "Avada Kedarva," he yelled, aiming to hit the extra, whose name or relationship to Lucius, he didn't know, in the chest. He ignored the fact that his target was simultaneously casting a stunning hex, regarding such an action as too little, too late. He regretted such arrogance the moment that the two spells met and formed the same coloured thread of magic that had occurred at Voldemort's rebirth fourteen months previously. 

Just as before the magic generated by the connecting thread between the two brother wands took on a life of its own, encasing both the dark lord and his young enemy in a golden web of light which protected them from any outside interference, even the evil aura of the dementors. Just as before, Voldemort and his followers were taken completely by surprise. The dark lord's shock allowing Harry to get the upper hand in the battle of wills, despite the tiredness resulting from his desperate run through the dungeons. Slowly, with an effort of immense concentration, the joining of the two threads inched towards the dark lord, as red began to overpower the sickly green of the killing curse. Until that is, the dark lord recovered his composure and abruptly the line between the two wands stopped moving. Nothing was said, both men needed their full concentration on winning this battle of wills, as both knew what was at stake. Neither noticed the loud explosion just behind the dark lord or the sprinting figures of Lucius and Draco as they ran towards the apparition point, nor did they notice the effect the explosion had on rousing the death eaters from their stupor, causing them to chase the two traitors, whilst barely missing them with their deadly curses. Both men ignored all this as they focused solely on the unmoving line in front of them, focusing on every last ounce of power and strength that they could muster in the titanic battle of will over the small thread of magic that linked them. 

And, once again, it was Fawkes that made the difference. Neither Voldemort nor Harry knew how long it took for the phoenix to appear, it could have minutes or it could have been hours, but once it did the effect was dramatic. Disheartened and distracted by the painful song, Voldemort began to weaken, just as Harry unlocked new reserves of energy that he didn't know he had. Exhaustion seemed to fall away from the blond Gryffindor, as the beautiful song enthused him with hope and joy, giving him the ability to push the thread of magic that linked the wands away from him, making the beam of Gryffindor red magic slowly push the dark lord's thread of evil green back towards the wand from whence it had come. Horror, anger and aggravation dawned on Voldemort's face as the red connected to his wand, causing a stream of shadow curses to come from his wand. 

Then came the shadows of people, killed by the unforgivable killing curse the dark lord was so fond of. Neither of them expected the first shadow to be of Ronald Weasley, most especially the dark lord, who looked at his opponent with all the hatred he could muster, recognition in his eyes. "Potter, I should have known," he growled with so much venom that it made Ron shudder. "You have a nasty habit of surviving." 

Harry said nothing. He had no wish to tell the dark lord of his relationship with Lucius, so he left the talking to his best friend and to the shadow of his Uncle Janus. "It's the power of love, the power of the healer," Janus said, a fierce anger in his eyes, from the look on his face his comment had been designed to unhinge Voldemort and it worked. Neither Harry nor Ron though understood what he was talking about. 

"Love is for the weak!" Voldemort thundered. Janus' comment had had the desired effect. "The healer must be powerful. I am powerful and I am the healer!" 

Janus merely smirked in amusement, "If you are so powerful then why have you been beaten by a sixteen year old boy?" The expression on Voldemort's face only darkened, it was clear that he refused even to acknowledge that he had been defeated. Janus, however, remained silent for a response that would never come. 

"Love?" Ron answered in the dark lord's stead, hesitantly at first but then more confidently, "Grandpa always said love is the most powerful form of magic, far more powerful than the dark arts, and he was an Auror." Janus turned from the dark lord to face Ron and then Harry as his smirk turned to a warm smile. 

"Exactly," he said, before turning to Harry, "Now go, young healer, break the connection before the death eaters return. We can distract him long enough to allow you to escape." He did it without hesitation, not even, waiting for Janus' exhortation for Harry to pass on his love to his family. He broke the connection and ran, turning down the corridor to his left, grabbing Lucius' portkey from out of his portkey as he ran. It activated the moment he stepped into the dark lord's throne room, tugging out of the of Voldemort's lair and dumping him in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor, where a worried Lucius and grateful Draco were waiting for him. 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

I was tempted to end that on a cliffhanger, but being in a good mood I decided not to. As said previously, the next chapter will not out as soon as this one, but you shouldn't have to wait too long. As a sidenote I do intend to finish this story this year, so you shouldn't have to wait too long between chapters. 

There might be errors in my description of priori incantatem as I do not have my copy of Goblet of Fire on me. If there are significant errors I will edit the chapter once I have my copy of GoF back. 

Finally an extended note about Harry's new name. As I said in the last chapter I will be continuing to carry Harry by his old name in the narrative. Other characters in both thoughts or dialogue, will refer to him by his new name. As I said in the last chapter, his true name is Leo Malfoy, as such people such as Draco, who are not his friends and have previously referred to Harry as 'Potter', will call him 'Leo'. Naturally some authority figures will call him Malfoy, but never when Draco is around. If someone in dialogue refers to 'Malfoy' they will generally be talking about Draco, not Harry, unless it is an authority figure addressing Harry directly. However, I also said that his mother wanted him to be known by his middle name of Jason, so anyone who would have previously referred to Harry by his first name will call him Jason, as per his wishes. This may sound confusing, but all you need to remember is that 'Leo' or 'Jason' are names for Harry, whilst a character referring to 'Malfoy' in dialogue is generally talking about Draco, unless common sense dictates otherwise. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 14, your reviews and your patience were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	17. Welcoming

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 19th January 2004 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 16: WELCOMING 

"At last!" Lucius exclaimed with relief when Harry felt himself impact on the floor of Malfoy Manor. "You're safe. I was beginning to fear that something had happened to you." 

"I was fine, it worked perfectly. The only reason why I took so long is that Janus got into an argument with Voldemort," Harry replied, blushing slightly at the parental worry that his father felt. It was not the sort of thing you expected from Lucius Malfoy but it felt good to have a parent fussing over him none the less. 

"About the healer I presume?" Lucius queried. Harry nodded, "You can tell me more later, but you should get some sleep first. You too Draco." The two boys did exactly as their father told them, but not before Draco stopped Harry as they parted outside Harry's room. 

"Thank You for saving my father and I," Draco said sincerely. "I know you didn't have to do it…" He never got to say any more because he was interrupted by Harry. 

"Yes I did have to do it," Harry responded forcefully, Draco looked surprised by the emotion of the words, "He's my father too. If I hadn't done something and he'd died, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. You don't have to thank me, Malfoy, I did because I had to." 

Harry half-expected Malfoy to mock or ridicule him for such sentiments, even though he knew that the Slytherin shared them. Therefore, it was relief not shock that he felt when Malfoy offered his hand and a warm, unguarded smile. "You know, I never expected to say this to you because I thought you were too Gryffindor, but Welcome to the Family." 

Harry grinned too as he took his school rival's hand. "And I never thought I'd say this: it's a pleasure." Both boys slept extremely well that night. 

* * *

Harry was already awake and halfway through breakfast when Draco entered the dinning room for his own breakfast the next morning. The blond Gryffindor had been woken up by an OWL from Caranthir asking after Harry's condition and requesting that they meet that morning. Harry presumed that his elfin friend had knowledge of what had happened the previous night, so had agreed to the request. 

"Lucius wants to meet you in his office at two o'clock to discuss a few things. He also said to tell you that he's asked Snape to call an emergency Council meeting for eight, to which I'm invited." Harry said without any greeting, despite their understanding of the previous night they were still rivals and far from close. 

"You've seen him then?" Draco asked, concern highly evident in his voice, "How is he? Is he OK?" 

"I only see him briefly, but he said Snape had checked him over and found no problem and he certainly seemed fine, if a little busy," Harry replied, a slight smile on his face. He liked seeing the more human side of the arrogant blond Slytherin he knew as Draco Malfoy. 

"Good," he replied. The relief on his face was obvious. 

Draco said nothing more, and Harry for his part was not going to push his luck and start a conversation because it would only descend into one of their arguments, something he wasn't in the mood for. Instead he ate his breakfast quickly and made his way to the back gate on the edge of the manor grounds. He crossed the narrow country lane and sat in the low stone wall admiring the view looking across the Vale of Pewsey, whilst contemplating about what he knew of the other side of Draco that had been revealed to him that previous night as well as the state of his relationship with Lucius. It was a full half-hour before Caranthir arrived. 

"Hey Jason, are you all right?" Caranthir asked as he approached his friend, breaking the said friend's thoughts. 

"Yes, I was just thinking about last night, about Malfoy," Harry replied, turning around to face his friend. 

"He didn't? I told you not to trust him…" Caranthir growled jumping to a conclusion, as he so often did. It took a while for Harry to understand what his friend was thinking, but once he did, he stopped his friend mid sentence. 

"Caranthir!" Harry exclaimed in a tone full of warning. The thought of Lucius betraying Harry to Voldemort seemed ridiculous, that such an idea also offended Harry was an indication of the growing bond between Harry and Lucius. "Lucius would never betray me to Voldemort, especially now that he's no longer a death eater." Harry's protestation didn't convince Caranthir though, the elf still looked as though he believed that Lucius conformed to the Slytherin stereotype. Harry wasn't particularly surprised at his friend's stubbornness, as they'd debated the issue several times previously. 

"Jason, I know Malfoy's your father, but he's still a Slytherin. He's evil, he can't be trusted." Caranthir snapped. He sounded extremely concerned for his friend; concern that Harry thought was misdirected and misplaced. 

"Lucius may be a Slytherin, but he's not evil. He may be a prejudiced git, but he's on our side and he would certainly never betray a member of his own family, of that I am certain." Harry replied, letting his aggravation with his friend's prejudices get the better. From the look of horror and disbelief on his friend's face, it was clear that neither the tone nor words had convinced Caranthir. But then the elf still held the typical Gryffindor prejudice that all Slytherins are evil, a prejudice that Harry had abandoned a long time ago on realising that Snape, for all his nastiness, was not evil. Realising that trying to convince Caranthir of the truth was a hopeless cause that would only lead to an angry argument, he quickly changed subject to what he had originally wanted to tell the elf – the events of the previous night. 

"I know you don't believe me, but Lucius told Voldemort to his face that he was wrong for murdering so many innocent witches and wizards. He only said it because Voldemort had found out that he was a ministry spy, but I think he meant it. Of course, he was imprisoned for opposing Voldemort, but Draco and I rescued him," Harry continued, trying to sound as calm as diplomatic as possible despite his fraying temper. His attempt at this was only partially successful, but by the look of shock and disbelief on Caranthir's face he had succeeded in averting an argument. 

"That's why you ended up fighting You-know-who wasn't it? Malfoy handed you over to him, to compensate for rescuing his precious daddy." Caranthir sneered, his hatred of Draco clearly evident in both his anger and in the mocking way he referred to their Slytherin rival. 

"Actually he didn't, although I half expected him to do so, despite his insistence that doing anything to aid Voldemort would be betraying Lucius." Harry replied, not commenting on the fact that Caranthir know of the previous night's run in with the dark lord despite his failure to mention it, because he knew his friend had been present at the encounter. "We only ran into Voldemort because the alarm was rigged to ring the moment Lucius stepped out of his cell and I volunteered to distract him while Lucius and Draco escaped." 

"You chose to fight you-know-who, but you could have died," Caranthir gasped. He seemed amazed that anyone, even Harry, would confront Voldemort willingly. Whilst Harry could understand fear of Voldemort, especially from someone who was wizard-bred like Caranthir, he knew that he could not fall prey to it if he were ever to defeat Voldemort as prophesised. 

"I had it all planned out and I was always in control," Harry replied in a reassuring manner that seemed to work, "Even if I was initially surprised to see you come out of the wand." 

Caranthir broke into a grin, "Surprised! You should have seen your face, you looked terrified," he crooned in a manner which would have annoyed Harry had it been anyone else saying it. 

"Of course I was terrified, I thought you were dead for a moment, until I remembered what you said about the killing curse only affecting half of you. God, I was so terrified, I don't want to lose you Caranthir or Hermione, I don't know what I'd do without you," Harry replied in deadly seriousness, the fear of losing his friends clearly evident in his voice. He was genuinely afraid of losing his friends to Voldemort, Ron and Hermione especially, only dementors terrified him more. 

Caranthir smiled reassuringly, clearly identifying the tremor in his best friend's voice, "I'm not going anywhere, Jason, and neither is Hermione. You're not just my friend, you're my brother, and unlike some people I will not desert you, whatever you are and whoever your family is." From the bitterness in the elfin boy's voice he quickly guessed that Caranthir was referring to his adopted family – the Weasleys. 

"The Weasleys haven't cut you off have they, like they did with Percy?" Harry asked sounding extremely concerned. He didn't want to be the cause of a dispute between his best friend and his best friend's family, besides he had always admired the closeness of the Weasley family. 

"No, they haven't gone that far but they are pretty angry with me. Mum reacted badly to me choosing to live with my mother, you know how over-protective she can be, and when she found out about you and the Malfoys she sent me a letter demanding that I stop being your friend, which naturally I ignored." From the edge in his voice, Harry could tell that Caranthir was actually very angry with Mrs Weasley, a rift that Harry felt partially responsible for. Nevertheless, he was grateful for the friendship and loyalty that his best friend provided. 

"You should go and see her," Harry said, hoping that the rest of the Weasley family hadn't followed their mother's line. A hope that Harry presumed to be groundless, given the feud between Mr Weasley and Harry's father, in fact he was rather surprised that Caranthir had stood by him. One thing he wasn't surprised about though was Molly Weasley's attitude towards her adopted son, he remembered all too well the previous summer's parental struggle between her and Sirius over who was to be his parental figure. "In fact," he continued noticing the unwilling look on his friend's face, "We'll go visit her now." 

"But mum will kill me. You know what she's like when she's angry." Caranthir protested stubbornly, making Harry wished he had Hermione with him to back him up. After all if there was anyone who could match his best friend for stubbornness then it would his other best friend. Without the bushy haired girl's assistance though, he would have to deal with his best friend himself. 

"Which is why I'll be going with you as support. Not that you'll need it," Harry stated firm with a harsh look that indicated disagreement would not be tolerated. Regretfully his best friend's courage and stubbornness meant that such a glare had no effect. 

"She hates me and she hates you, Jason. Thanks for the offer, but there's nothing I can do." Caranthir replied nervously, sounding depressed at this belief, which Harry did not agree with. 

"She loves you, Ron. Aranel may be your birth mother, but Molly Weasley thinks of you as her son too. That's why she's angry with you, you hurt her by turning your back on her, she thinks you betrayed the family," Harry responded forcefully, deliberately using his best friend's former name. He was on the verge of losing his temper. The argument continued, with Ron stubbornly refusing to visit his mother, who was living at Grimmauld Place with the rest of the order, eventually Harry got so frustrated that he simply walked off, making it perfectly clear that he would tell Mrs Weasley himself, besides he needed to speak to Professor Dumbledore about the events of the previous night. 

* * *

Harry had no choice but to fly to 12 Grimmauld Place, a journey that took twice as long as the one he had taken the previous year from Little Whinging. That meant it was long past lunchtime when Harry arrived, making the blond Gryffindor very hungry. Asides from this inconvenience the sheer joy of flying meant that it was a considerably calmer Harry that touched down in the dilapidated square in north London that was home to the Order of the Phoenix. This fact was a blessing when Harry noticed the tall dark haired figure of Caranthir Spencer sitting on the grass in the middle of the square waiting for his best friend to appear. The moment Harry landed the elf got up and walked over to his friend. 

"You were right," he said simply. Harry merely smiled and walked towards number twelve, along side his friend, knocking on the door when they got there. It took several minutes for Dumbledore to answer it. 

"Ah, Mr Evans, I thought you might pay me a visit. Although I did not expect you to be able to persuade Mr Weasley to accompany you, none the less Molly will be ever so pleased," Dumbledore said, the ever present twinkle in his eyes only increasing at the sight of the two surprised Gryffindors, Caranthir looked particularly shocked. 

"Did Professor Snape told you of his meeting with Lucius then?" Harry queried when he had regained his composure. By that stage the headmaster had ushered the two boys inside only to be confronted by the screaming portrait of Mrs Black, who seemed to glare especially venomously at Harry. 

"Blood traitor! Freak! Abomination!" she screamed as Dumbledore and the two boys hurried past in the direction of the order meeting room, not stopping to draw the curtain across the portrait. 

The old dinning room that served as the meeting place of the Order of the Phoenix was not empty when the two boys entered, for Mad Eye Moody and Professor Snape were sitting at the table, which had various sheets of parchment scattered over it. It appeared that the two men had been in the middle of a meeting with the headmaster. The said headmaster quietly indicated for the two boys to sit at the table, ignoring the suspicious looks that were being sent in Caranthir's direction, as neither the former auror or the potions master recognised the elfin boy. 

"Please continue Severus," Professor Dumbledore asked his potions professor once the two boys were settled. 

"Lucius said the he and Draco only encountered about a dozen death eaters. Of these, three were killed during the escape, two of them by curses from their own side. The only one he recognised was Dolohov as the other two to be killed were both masked, but we should be able to identify them when missing persons reports are filed for in the next few days." Snape reported, not bothering to question the headmaster about the presence of the boy he did not recognise. Whoever he was would have to be trustworthy simply to get past the many protections surrounding the house. Moody, however, was looking positively paranoid about the strange boy who had accompanied Harry. 

The ex-auror did not get a chance to air his concerns though, because Dumbledore gave Moody a stern look to prevent him from registering his concerns, before turning to Harry so as ask the blond Gryffindor to tell his side of the story. 

Unlike after the traumatic events of the third task, Harry had no problem with retelling the events of the previous evening, beginning with his vision of Lucius' defiance and ending with his return to Malfoy Manor. However, he did not mention his truce with the Draco Malfoy, fearing Caranthir's reaction to such news. Nonetheless, Dumbledore appeared pleased with the news that Harry gave, especially the revelation that the Gryffindor had been the equal of the dark lord during the Priori Incantatem, even before Fawkes intervention and the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes got noticeably brighter when Harry mentioned his new Occulumency skills as taught by Lucius. Moody also seemed to approve of Lucius' instruction of Occulumency, much to Harry's surprise, although the dark look aimed at Caranthir after Harry's description of Ron's emergence from his wand did not go unnoticed either. Most curious of all though was Snape's reaction to Janus' labelling of Harry as a 'healer', which the potions master seemed to regard as both highly significant and shocking. This was a reaction which the headmaster curiously noted but wisely said nothing about, instead, once Harry had finished talking he turned to Caranthir. 

"Do you have anything to add, Mr Weasley?" he asked the elfin boy, without a reaction from either Snape or Moody, neither of whom had known the identity of the elfin boy up until that point. 

"No sir," Caranthir replied, for Harry had mentioned everything that he had known about the previous night's events. 

"Very well," Dumbledore replied, not betraying his regret at the elfin boy's lack of information. He wasn't particularly surprised: Harry's explanation had been thorough, but more detail would have been useful, if only for researching the Priori Incantatem. As such detail would not be forthcoming, the headmaster returned to more pressing business by speaking to Harry. "Are you happy with your father teaching you Occulumency? I presume he is teaching you properly." 

"Yes, he's a good teacher," Harry replied, "He's also promised to teach me Legilimency next summer, after I've mastered Occulumency." 

"Good, I shall pick up Lucius' lessons once you return to school, as the sooner you learn the better. I was also planning on teaching you Legilimency as well, it is a skill you will need." Dumbledore responded. He trusted Lucius to teach Harry properly, but he was not going to allow Harry's lessons in this area be neglected while the boy was at school, because the sooner Harry learnt both Legilimency and Occulumency the sooner he could move on to learning the more advanced magic that which would allow him to defeat Voldemort. "I do believe though that there is an anxious mother by the door waiting to see her son and her son's best friend. I am not so heartless as to keep parents from their children, but I will speak to you two again later." Dumbledore's words were obviously a dismissal, but neither of the two boys moved, one quick look at Caranthir's face told why: they were nervous, not that Harry, with his typical Malfoy colouring, could get any paler. From the extra twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes it was clear the headmaster found such nervousness amusing, but then he knew how much Molly Weasley was missing her son and how, surprisingly, her husband had persuaded her into accepting Harry's true parentage. Of course the two Gryffindors did not know this, at least not until the door flew open and an impatient and equally nervous Molly Weasley virtually ran into the room. It took a lot more than the old headmaster to keep Molly Weasley from the son whom she had been worrying about incessantly for over a month. 

**

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**

Another chapter in which I was tempted to end with a cliffhanger but didn't, mainly because of the problems I've had with writing it. As a sidenote I do intend to finish this story this year, so you shouldn't have to wait too long between chapters. 

Yes, Caranthir is Ron. I'll say more about this in the next chapter, especially as to why he ended up with the Weasleys. Just as I'm calling Harry 'Harry' in the narrative so I'll be calling Ron 'Ron' in the narrative from the next chapter onwards. Remember though that in dialogue Harry is 'Jason' and 'Leo' whilst Ron is 'Caranthir'. 

Mirie: With regards to the timeline, I made a mistake in saying that Caranthir was two months old when Lilly ran away. My timeline has Ron being born on March 19th as per cannon and Aranel running away a week later on the 26th March. Lilly then broke up with Lucius two days later on the 28th in the evening, making her five months pregnant as I said. 

halijadesnape: Thank You for pointing my Snuffles reference out, it slipped through the net when I made it OotP compatible back in July. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 15, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	18. Prejudices

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 24th March 2004 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 17: PREJUDICES 

"Ron! Harry! I've been so worried," Molly Weasley cried as she entered the room. She hurried over to the two boys and pulled them into a bone-crushing hug. It was only when Harry gasped for breath that she let the boys go. "I'm so sorry for being angry with you," she continued, managing to sound extremely worried, deliriously happy and profoundly apologetic all at the same time, "It was just so difficult to see you leaving like that, it reminded me of Percy. I should never have doubted you – I'm so sorry." Molly's attention turned to her adopted son, who she began fussing over. Harry didn't feel left out, she was Ron's mother, whether he was adopted or not, not his. Instead he felt somewhat guilty for intruding on what he felt should be a private moment. Making sure not to draw any attention he moved quietly to the doorway and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. He couldn't help but break into a small smile though; it seemed that the Weasley family had accepted his status as the son of one of their old adversaries. 

It wasn't until she spoke that Harry paid any attention to the woman in the corner. "How did he react?" she asked, concern evident in her voice. He'd only seen her once but he recognised her almost instantly, although her pointed elfin ears were a dead give-away – the woman was Aranel, Ron's birth mother. 

"I haven't seen him so happy for weeks. He had a massive grin on his face when I left," Harry replied softly. Ron had been slightly depressed for weeks, ever since Harry had met him soon after arriving at Malfoy Manor, it wasn't until Ron had mentioned his falling out with the Weasley's that morning that he worked out why. Now that the issue had been resolved, he couldn't be happier for his friend, which was one of the reasons why he was currently in a very good mood. 

Aranel seemed to share Harry's delight, for upon hearing Harry's response to her question, she brightened up immensely. "I thought so. He's missed her terribly, even with you for company he's still been awfully homesick," From the concern in her voice, it seemed that Aranel cared as much for Ron as Molly Weasley did. It was a hint, which caused Harry to ask Aranel a question of his own. 

"Aren't you a little jealous, of Mrs Weasley, that she means so much to him," he asked, unsure of what reaction he would get for asking such a question. Although judging from her unchanging facial expression, it seemed that she didn't mind. 

"No, I gave up that right when I left him in my aunt's care as a baby," she replied, her voice as calm as before, "Not that I would begrudge her anyway. Molly's a good person and an excellent mother; she deserves his affection. I'm just happy that he loves me too, even after abandoning him as a baby." Harry's surprise at the guilt and self-hate expressed by that last comment was both immense and highly visible. 

"But Ron said that under Elfin Law, you had to leave him with the Weasley's. You abandoned him because you had to rather than because you wanted to. There's nothing for you to feel guilty about," he protested hotly, not liking to see anyone, least of all a woman who his best friend spoke highly of, feeling so depressed. 

"I know that and I hated it, everyone did – even James. It's one of the reasons why the laws were changed; that and Voldemort," Aranel replied, her whole demeanour had changed in a matter of moments when the issue of abandoning Ron had been broached. The happiness was gone replaced with a deep sadness and a cold seriousness that had not been present before. 

"Voldemort? How does he affect your kind?" Harry queried, surprised not only because the elf was prepared to say the dark lord's name, but also because the dark lord was as much a concern for elves as wizards. Given the isolationism of the wood elves and their status as magical creatures, it was a wonder that Voldemort would want anything to do with them. 

"He holds a grudge of some kind against us. I don't know the details, but it's something to do with Salazar Slytherin's legacy, you'll find out more about it when the Slytherin Council next meets. He didn't do anything serious during the last war, but he's spent the past year during to incite a revolution with considerable success among my generation, despite James' best efforts. The only way civil war can be prevented is by pre-empting Voldemort's supporters and ending our policy of isolation, if only so they can pass on the legacy of Slytherin before Voldemort gets his hands on it." Aranel explained, concern evident in her voice. Such concern was mirrored on Harry's face, the blond Gryffindor couldn't believe that the dark lord was attracting followers among the elves to replace the death eaters he had lost. 

"How many supporters does he have among your kind?" He asked, the urgency of his tone matching the considerable concern that he showed. 

"He only has about a dozen true supporters, who would be willing to become death eaters, no one else would consider joining him. However, as leaders of a political faction, these twelve have a lot of support and could get in a position to overthrow the council of elders. If that happens, Voldemort will effectively control every single wood elf. Fortunately the elders are doing everything they can to stop that happening," Aranel replied, trying to ease Harry's fears by making the problem sound insignificant without really succeeding in doing so, mainly because it was obvious that she was highly concerned by it. "Although," she continued, sounding slightly less concerned, "the elders do want to meet you at some stage during the next few days. They think you can help them." 

"What do they want to talk about?" Harry asked, both surprised and flattered by the elfin elder's request. He was curious as to find out what they wanted with him, a sentiment obvious in his question. 

"I'm not sure," Aranel replied apologetically, "My grandfather just mentioned it in passing to me, they'll probably contact you either tonight or tomorrow about it and arrange a meeting. You're not the only one though, they also want to meet Lucius too, and Dumbledore. Talking about Dumbledore, he wants to see you in ten minutes, once he's done with Snape and Moody. It's just a few formalities to do with your change of identity." 

It was actually fifteen minutes before Harry got to see Dumbledore, time which he spent listening to tales of his mother and of Ron's summer as told by Aranel. The few formalities that the elfin woman had mentioned consisted in Dumbledore explaining what Lucius had already told him, that he was going to return to Hogwarts as a new student, and the signing of a letter responding to an unsent acceptance letter. He was thankful to learn, however, that he would not have to be sorted. That he'd already chosen his NEWT courses and received an equipment list was irrelevant. 

Half an hour later Harry found himself in the Ministry Archives with Lucius signing a form, which removed Leo Jason Malfoy from the Ministry's missing persons list, thereby completing the final step of a legal process designed to change his identity from Harry Potter to Leo Malfoy without anybody realising that the two people were the one and same. According to Lucius, who had been Head of Ministry Archives at the time, they had forged an extra birth certificate, on James Potter's request and with the agreement of Molly and Arthur, to hide his identity as Ron's true father, apparently on the request of Harry's mother. Thus, Harry's parents had pretended that Ron's true birth certificate, i.e. the one for Caranthir Harold James Potter, son of James Potter and Aranel Spencer, was actually Harry's own birth certificate. Apparently, the ministry had also secretly issued a death certificate for Caranthir Potter, dated the day of Voldemort's attack on Janus Malfoy's home. When Harry had born, he was registered under his true name and declared missing a few days later. Of course, Voldemort, when he had been trying to find babies born in late July, had seen straight through the ruse. 

Afterwards Harry and Lucius were joined by Narcissa, Draco and the Law Enforcement Officer assigned to watch over Lucius in buying the Hogwarts supplies for Harry and Draco. It was a far from pleasant experience, and that was not because of the presence of the Malfoy's. Rather it was the snide glances and barely disguised disgust coming from the other shoppers that made Harry feel uncomfortable. It was like second year when everyone had believed him to be the Heir of Slytherin. Fortunately such reactions were far from universal, but the majority viewed the party of Malfoys with hostility, suspicion and fear, but then they were being accompanied by a former death eater, whose face had been all over the Daily Prophet just a few weeks previously. After visiting Gringotts for money and withdrawing a moneybag's each worth of Galleons from the Malfoy Family Vault, which was at least ten times bigger than Harry's own vault and which contained infinitely more money, they made their way in a companionable silence to the Apocethary for Draco to buy his potions supplies. Harry, having only achieved an A in Potions, was not taking NEWT level potions, so waited patiently for his Slytherin half-brother to find the ingredients he needed and check their quality, something Harry had never done, before buying them. He found fault only with the newt's livers on display, regarding them as too small. Harry couldn't tell the difference, but the owner seemed to because he went into the back room and put a new batch on display, which met Draco's approval. 

Their next stop was Madam Malkins for both boys to buy new school uniforms and on the prompting of Lucius a new set of dress robes each. Whilst dress robes were not on the uniform list, it was made perfectly clear that they would both be attending a formal event of some kind within the next few months. Much to Draco's disgust, however, he refused to give details, saying that they would find out at the Slytherin Council meeting later that night. Unfortunately, their entire conversation surrounding the issue was overheard by two seventh year Ravenclaws who were waiting for Draco and Harry to finish being fitted, one of whom made a snide remark to his friend about "Daddy taking his family to a death eater meeting." It was a remark that was overheard by Lucius, who stopped mid sentence and turned towards them, his face frozen in ice cold fury. Harry didn't overhear, so was initially curious as to what had provoked his father, such concern was quickly replaced by anger when Lucius repeated what he had heard. 

"Oh, I'm going to take my sons to a death eater meeting am I? Well that was last nights entertainment and I assure you Voldemort did not enjoy losing three quarters of his followers, several of his dementors and narrowly escaping with his life twice. Is it to much for your petty minds to learn the difference between a death eater and a Slytherin, unless, of course, you wish to accuse the Minister of being death eater?" He sneered harshly, before turning his back to them and walking over to the over side of the shop. He didn't sound that angry but it was clear that he was putting up a pleasant façade and that actually he was furious with the two boys. From the looks on their faces, it was clear that the two boys were well aware of Lucius' true anger. With the Malfoy patriarch out of earshot the two boys soon recovered their composure when the boy who had made the original comment whispered another joke to his friend, which both boys seemed to find hilariously funny. This began a whispered exchange of anti-Slytherin jokes, at least that's what they were saying when Harry walked past, who, incensed by the unfairness and outright hostility of their anti-Slytherin beliefs, added a comment of his own. 

"Here's some information for you," he said, failing to his irritation at their comments, "Voldemort has just twenty two death eaters. Of these, five were Slytherins, six were Ravenclaws, eight went to Durmstrang, one was a Hufflepuff and two, much to the dishonour of my house, are former Gryffindors. That includes the two unidentified death eaters Lucius killed last night." This was something Lucius, had told him just that morning, when he had asked how extensive the death eater revolt was going to be. 

What they thought of the fact he didn't know, as they seemed to be more concerned with Harry's own house placement. "You're a Gryffindor?" the shorter of the two Ravenclaws squeaked disbelievingly. 

"Yes. I'm a Gryffindor," Harry replied as he followed Lucius, Draco and Narcissa from the clothes shop. Much to his exasperation, that fact alone seemed to amaze them. 

They quickly finished the rest of their shopping, and treated themselves to an ice cream at Florian Fortrescues, during which the topic of conversation inevitably turned to the encounter with the two Ravenclaws. Draco raised the topic initially, with a comment about his father's choice of words. 

"You shouldn't have mentioned the Minister, father. They'll probably start thinking he's a death eater now, just when they need to have the confidence in his ability to lead the war effort," he said critically, his tone completely serious. It was a comment, which amazed Harry, who was still struggling to comprehend the scale of the two boys' prejudice against Slytherins. 

"Surely, they won't go that far?" Harry exclaimed, whilst he could understand some degree of hostility towards Slytherins, he could understand why someone would show such prejudice, it was as bad as the anti-muggle prejudice common among, but not confined to, the Slytherins themselves. It wasn't Draco or Lucius who responded, but rather the Law Enforcement Patrol Officer assigned to accompany Lucius as part of his parole conditions. 

"Some people do, they simply refuse to see that anything good can come from a Slytherin. Just like some people refuse to see that any good can come from muggle-borns. If anything it's worse, because at least the muggle haters can offer a plausible argument for their prejudice, I've never heard a Ravenclaw, let alone a Gryffindor, give any sort of possible explanation for hating us beyond stereotypes and yet more prejudices. Even those that pride themselves on being logical condemn us as nasty bullies, whilst ignoring that Gryffindors can be much worse. For every Slytherin that picks on Gryffindors, there's a Gryffindor that picks on Slytherins. And, don't think it stops after graduation either; no Slytherin has been accepted on the Auror Training Program since the time of the founders, and that's just the most obvious example. " The pointed glares from Lucius and Draco that accompanied the officer's condemnation of anti-muggle bias were not lost on either Harry or the Patrol Officer. 

"That's what makes it so unfair! When a Slytherin joins Voldemort, it's because he's a Slytherin but when someone from another house joins Voldemort it's because he's a bad person. It's completely unjustified, you can't say an entire house is evil, just because Voldemort and several of the more high profile death eaters are some of its former students." Harry exclaimed angrily. He was still incensed by the unwarranted and unjustified comments of the two Ravenclaws from earlier and the fact that such incidents were an everyday occurrence for the Slytherins. In the face of such discrimination and hostility it was no wonder they turned to Voldemort, not only because the dark lord would treat all houses equally, but also so they could get back at their tormentors. That wasn't to say such actions were right, far from it, but they were at least understandable. Harry knew perfectly well what it was like to be picked on, he had been bullied by Dudley and his friends for years, you either ignored it, as he had done, you fought back, as most of the Slytherins seemed to, or you cracked and let them affect you, a path which at its extreme led to suicide. 

"Try telling them that, they won't believe you. Their prejudices are too ingrained in them, you can't change it, nobody can." The Magical Law Enforcement Patrol Officer responded, his previous passion replaced by an air of resignation, which only annoyed Harry even more. He looked at the faces of Lucius and his family for support, but found none, they all seemed to express the same resignation to a lifetime of being looked down upon by the majority of the wizarding population. Whilst he acknowledged that some of the hostility directed against the Malfoys was undoubtedly warranted, given Lucius' death eater past and their anti-muggle prejudices. The systematic branding as Slytherins as irreparably evil and beyond redemption was deeply offensive to Harry's sense of fairness, tolerance and decency. 

"I can at least try. Somebody's go to." He stated with an air of finality. His anger at the situation the Slytherin's faced had morphed into an unshakeable sense of stubborn determination to do something about it. The look of cold determination on his face reflected this, indicating that he made up his mind on a particular course of action and that nothing could change it. Both Narcissa and Draco recognised the expression and knew it's meaning; it was pure Lucius. From the significant glance he shared with his wife the Malfoy patriarch understood what it meant too. As for the Officer assigned to watch over Lucius, any attempt at a response was cut off by the commotion caused by sight of the seven Wood Elves who had just entered Diagon Alley. Harry's reaction was to wonder what on earth Caranthir and the other elfish Hogwarts student, who his friend had mentioned in passing, were doing shopping for school supplies without hiding their identities and to wonder what James Potter was doing with them. He also noted that Mrs Weasley was nowhere to be seen. 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

Yes I know its been two months since I last updated, you have my apologies. Hopefully, the next two chapters should be out soon. In what little time I've had to write, I've been working on the early chapters of another fic, which may be posted after I've finnished my current WIPs, 

In case you've forgotten Harry is 'Jason' and 'Leo' whilst Ron is 'Caranthir'. Some of you are probably confused by my reference to three birth certficates for the two boys, so here's a short timeline for the year of Harry and Ron's birth to clear things up. 

March 19th: Ron is born, and a birth certificate is issued for him under the name Caranthir Harold James Potter, with his parents declared to be James and Aranel.   
March 26th: Aranel is ambushed by death eaters and escapes using the teleportation/Avada Kedarva trick mentioned in chapter 13. Under Elfish Law she is forced to leave the human world without her baby son, who she leaves with her aunt, Molly Weasley, because she does not trust James to raise him   
March 27th/28th: Lilly and Lucius break up and Lilly returns to James. Molly offers to let them raise Ron/Caranthir but they say no, consequently Ron is placed under a disguise and following James' insistence they raise him themselves.   
March 29th: Arthur and Molly go to the Ministry to officially adopt Ron. After discussions between Lilly, Lucius and James they secretly produce a false birth certificate for Ron, declaring him to be Molly and Arthur's son. Arthur and Molly's friends are told that Ron was adopted.   
Sometime in April, May, June or Early July: Draco is born.   
July 31: Harry is born, a birth certificate is issued for Leo Jason Malfoy. Following a decision made in March, Lilly and James disguise him as a Potter and tell the world he is Caranthir Harold James Potter. An adoption certificate is issued for Lilly and James to adopt Aranel and James' son so as to make people think that Harry is in fact Aranel's abandonned baby. Lilly and James' friends are told is that the child is the product of Lilly's affair, they are not told the true father. Everyone else is told nothing and the memories of the staff who tended Lilly are wiped of her presence and the record of her stay removed.   
August 1: Leo Jason Malfoy is declared missing and access to his birth certificate is restricted. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 16, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	19. Friends

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 31st March 2004 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 18: FRIENDS 

There were seven elves in total, of which Harry recognised three, namely Ron and his biological parents. He presumed that another of the elves was Olessë, the husband of Ron's mother. Which of the two tall blond haired elfish men, both of whom seemed to be ignoring the whisperings of the startled crowd and holding a conversation in elfish, was Olessë and which was the father of the other elfish boy Harry didn't know as judging by the similarity in their appearances the two men could have been brothers. As for the other elfish women, her black haired son who appeared to be of a similar age to Ron, appeared to be pointing things out as if giving her a guided tour of Diagon Alley in elfish. The only was paying any attention to the reaction of the shocked shoppers was James, although Harry was sure that Ron, who was leading the way, was enjoying the attentions of the crowd immensely. 

"Elves in Diagon Alley! Zabini never told us about this!" Draco cried as he leapt up from his seat to get a better look. 

"Zabini? Is he an elf then?" Harry queried, looking again at the second young elf as the elf talked to his mother. The elf certainly could be Blaise Zabini, there was certainly a familiarity to the tall, dark haired creature, which he couldn't place the source. It certainly amounted to more than the small resemblance in looks between the unknown elfin student and Ron's elfin appearance caused by their being of the same inhuman species. Before Draco could reply to his previous question, he added another, vocalising his suspicion: "Is he the one on the right, talking to the taller of the two women?" 

It is a question that caused Draco to pause for a moment, as the Slytherin studied the elf Harry had pointed out. Then, for an instant the elf in question looked in their direction and something happened. Harry didn't know what transpired between the elf and Draco, but suddenly the Slytherin moved off, calling for Harry to follow. The Gryffindor, letting his curiosity get the better of him followed, knowing that Draco would do nothing to harm him in public. 

"I haven't seen his true appearance before but that's him alright, I'd recognise those eyes anywhere, they're unique, even more so than yours." Draco said hurriedly once Harry had caught up with him. Despite the urgency of his tone he walked slowly, in the direction of Gringotts. It quickly became apparent why when Draco asked his Gryffindor half-brother if he had his Gringotts key with him. It appeared that the Slytherin wanted to catch a private word with Zabini in the chaos of the Gringotts foyer, without being seen to do so. Why he didn't want to be seen talking to the elves was a mystery to Harry, although not wanting to tar the elves with the current bad reputation of the Malfoys may have had something to do with it. 

The party of elves reached Gringotts just before the two Malfoys and walked up a free Goblin Cashier in the middle of the hall. Harry followed them in and walked up to the goblin at the adjacent desk allowing Draco to exchange a few words with Zabini, or more precisely with Ron who passed on a message telling the two boys to head to the twins' joke shop, where they would be joined in fifteen minutes by the two elfin boys. This was accompanied by a stern warning from Zabini to tell the twins that Draco was there on his request. 

Thus, ten minutes later, after informing Lucius of where they were going and why, Harry and Draco found themselves in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Much to Harry's surprise Draco was keen to browse the twin's products. He even picked out a few to buy, claiming that, "Lucas is in desperate need of some cheering up, he's been rather depressed since his father died." 

"Is that for us to use on him or for him to use on us? Besides, would he approve of this stuff? You know what he thinks of the cheap tricks they sell as Gambol and Japes, is he going to think of these as any more original?" Harry asked in response. He was very wary of giving Lucas anything, which might potentially result in a prank being directed at him, especially anything concocted by Fred and George. Whilst the twins' pranks were better, you could generally spot them in advance, unlike with Lucas' pranks where escape from humiliation was impossible. To combine the two was a horror not worth thinking about. 

"Regretfully he would approve of them, which is why I have no intention of ever letting him get his hands on these goods. They are only to be used on him, although, if a few were to backfire on to you, it would be such a terrible tragedy." Draco replied firmly, although his mood shifted as a subtle smirk and sarcastic tone appeared as he made his final remark. It appeared that Draco's attempts to cheer up Lucas were going to have a nasty habit of 'accidentally' backfiring on to Harry. Knowing that he would have to have some ways of getting back at his rival and half-brother he picked up a few products of his own, to supplement his existing stock of prank materials. If only, as he made clear to Draco, to provide an incentive to ensure his pranks did not affect Harry. 

Harry was just making his purchase from a grinning Fred, when Zabini and Ron walked in and headed straight for the counter. James followed, but he ignored the two Malfoys and went straight to browsing the shelves. 

"We're here the meeting, as are those two," Ron told his brother, once Harry had finished his transaction. Harry wondered what this meeting was about. 

Fred's eyes widened momentarily in shock, before he recovered his composure and called for his mother and for Lee Jordan, both of whom must have been waiting in the back room. Mrs Weasley took a quick glance at the four boys, to confirm that they were supposed to be at this meeting. 

"Hello dear, how are you?" Mrs Weasley said pleasantly to Harry, "I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to speak to you earlier. Ron and I had so much to catch up on and then we had to come straight here for the meeting, there wasn't really time." She sounded genuinely apologetic. 

"It's Ok," Harry replied dismissively, "Dumbledore wanted to see me and we'd arranged to get our school supplies, so I didn't really have time anyway." 

"Oh, if it's alright with you then." She responded, before turning to Draco. "Hello dear, I'm Molly Weasley." Harry saw Ron stiffen out of the corner of his eyes. Harry's best friend was obviously expecting Draco to say something spiteful or nasty, as Harry expected though, the Slytherin turned on the charm and acted the perfect gentlemen. 

"Draco Malfoy, it's a pleasure." He replied with a charming smile. Zabini introduced himself in much the same way. After the hellos had been made, Mrs Weasley led the four boys into the backroom and up some stairs. 

Ron took the opportunity to hurriedly explain to Harry what was going on, "I'm sorry for dumping you into this at such short notice, but I thought we might as well take the opportunity to explain our situations whilst everyone's here. Zabini's the one who organised the meeting, at the request of the elders, to promote links between elves and humans and he invited most of the DA and a few Slytherins, he thought he could trust. We didn't invite you because I could just tell you everything in private and Malfoy because he obviously can't be trusted. Merlin knows why Zabini suddenly changed his mind about Malfoy though." Harry could feel the butterflies that suddenly took residence in his stomach at that explanation, the thought of seeing his friends, especially Hermione and explaining everything made him feel very nervous 

At the top of the stairs Harry and Ron parted from the two Slytherins, who were directed to the meeting room, whilst Harry and Ron were directed into the twins' kitchen, where Hermione and Ginny were waiting for them. "Uh … Hello Hermione, Ginny," Ron muttered nervously once the door had closed behind them, his previous confidence drained by the sight of Hermione. Harry just stood there ignoring the suspicious look that Ginny had directed at him and the curious glance of Hermione before her eyes settled on Ron. 

"Ron, Who's that?" Hermione asked, directing the question at the elf. Her visible calmness offsetting Ron's equally visible nervous. Harry, who was equally as nervous, couldn't quite understand what his best friend was so concerned about, after all the bushy haired girl was hardly going to reject someone just because they weren't human. On the other hand she might reject him for being a Malfoy… 

"That is eh… was Harry. He changed his name a few weeks ago due to, eh… circumstances." Ron ventured, his demeanour had brightened when Hermione had addressed him by name, but he still seemed nervous. Harry wondered whether it was because Ginny hadn't said anything yet. 

"What circumstances?" Hermione queried, her eyes widening when told that the boy who could have passed for Malfoy's brother was in fact her best friend. 

"I found out a few things about James Potter, which made me want nothing to do with him. Namely that he's a heartless bastard that couldn't care less about me or about anyone else and that he's alive," Harry said angrily, his eyes hardening at the thought of the man his mother married. He ignored Hermione's gasp of shock, "Thankfully, I am not his son, that misfortune is reserved for Ron here. Although, having Lucius Malfoy as my father isn't much better, but at least he actually cares about his family and friends, if nothing else." 

"So what, he's still a death eater." Ginny retorted. It was the first words she shad spoken and their tone was more hostile than pleasant. Harry 's heart sank momentarily, but Hermione's intervention soon raised his spirits. 

"Ginny!" she cried indignantly, "What's that got to do with anything? If Lucius Malfoy truly cares for his family he wouldn't do anything to hurt Harry, whatever his loyalties." 

"Hermione, she has a point. Lucius has done plenty of evil things and he was a death eater, none of which I condone and many of which he regrets doing too. He's not the nicest person in the world and he is an arrogant prejudiced git, but he's not evil nor is he still a death eater. Still he cares about me and trust me, even that's an improvement on the Dursleys." Harry countered wearily. His nerves had all but evaporated at the show of support from his best friend, even if it had been unhelpful. 

Ginny, however, remained far from convinced. "How do you know he's not a death eater? Or, are you simply taking his word for it." She responded sceptically, her distrusting glare not diminishing. 

"I know because Draco and I had to rescue him from Voldemort's lair last night after I had a vision of him being unmasked as a spy. I saw him attack Voldemort myself. He meant every word of that speech he made at Janus' memorial service, I know that because he said virtually the same thing to Voldemort's face." Harry replied calmly. 

He ignored the sound of Dean, Seamus, Neville and Luna entering the room, just as he ignored the fact that the first thing Dean did upon entering the room was to walk over to Ginny and give her a kiss. An action which meant that Harry's words did not gain an immediate response, as everyone except the oblivious Dean, waited for Ron, who had stiffened visibly at the sight of Dean kissing his sister, to explode with anger. Even Seamus and Neville seemed to pick up on the elf's tension. Fortunately, the situation was rescued by Seamus, who asked a question about what Harry had been saying when the foursome had entered the room. 

"Who were you talking about?" he asked, in a manner which betrayed the fact that he had said the first sensible that he had thought of, in an attempt to diffuse a difficult situation. 

"Lucius Malfoy, I was explaining how I knew that his defection from the death eaters is genuine," Harry replied, "No doubt, Draco will mention during the meeting." 

"Draco? When did you become on first name terms with Malfoy?" Hermione queried disbelievingly. It was a question that Harry had not been expecting, mainly because Ron hadn't asked the same thing. He should have known to expect it from Hermione, who could read volumes into the smallest detail. 

"I can't really call him Malfoy, because technically that's my surname too, even if I don't always use it, and I don't think Lucius would approve of 'Ferret Face' or 'evil git,' which means that I have to call him by his first name. He's still as annoying as ever, although he's bearable if he keeps his mouth shut." Harry explained off-handedly. He was more concerned by the strange look that Neville appeared to be giving the seat he had taken at the end of the kitchen table. 

Ron was also looking at Harry strangely, as if he had gone mad, but Harry guessed that was because of his last comment. It was a suspicion that was soon confirmed. "That may well be true, Jason, but have you ever known Malfoy to keep his mouth shut?" He exclaimed, sounding shocked by the thought. 

Harry did have to admit a point, which explained the grin that appeared in response to the question, "I suppose," he answered with a chuckle, "But he has been making an effort ever since last night. He sees me as part of the Malfoy family now, so he's stopped trying to provoke me. I know it sounds strange but I suppose something good has to come out of being related to that git." 

"Surely it still doesn't make up for being his half brother though, if anything it makes it worse. To be related to him must be bad enough, but to be part of his family too would be horrible," Ron replied, ignoring the puzzled expression on Hermione's face and the obvious fact that the bushy haired girl was dying to ask Harry a question. 

"Just because he's family it doesn't we have to like each other, but we do need to at least get on, if only for Lucius' sake. Besides, I'd rather him as an ally than an enemy, for all his boasts and nastiness he is a talented wizard." Harry countered amiably. 

"But his OWL results were worse than yours!" Ron stammered, looking flabbergasted at his friend's last comment. Hermione, however, it appeared agreed with Harry. 

"Harry's right," she commented, "I don't know about his OWL results, but in previous years he was among the highest in the year." He let Hermione's use of his old name slide for now, although he did shoot her a disapproving glare. Instead he let Neville, who seemed not to have noticed Hermione's reference to him as Harry Potter, say what he knew about the situation. 

"Malfoys results were low because the Ministry Education Committee downgraded the results of all of the Slytherins, because their parents are death eaters. According to my Grandma, Matilda Marchbanks was furious." He explained. Harry didn't detect the hint of disapproval in Neville's voice. Even if he had it wouldn't stopped his scowl of disapproval. 

He certainly, however, picked up on Ron's muttered approvals for the education committee's actions. "Serves them right, the damn death eaters," the elfin boy muttered to himself under his breath. 

Harry, whose temper had already been strained by the earlier encounter with the Ravenclaws, the discussion which had followed it, Hermione's reference to his old name as well what he had just been told, snapped upon hearing his best friend's words. 

"Most Slytherins are not death eaters!" Harry roared at Ron, his anger overcoming him in a fit of red-hot rage provoked by the outrageous unfairness and extreme prejudice that his friend was justifying. On his part, Ron was utterly flabbergasted by the enraged reaction his overheard comment had generated, "And even of they were, nothing could justify the systematic prejudice and discrimination that you seem to think they deserve. Nothing can justify the mindless abuse and torture that you and your kind inflict on them. At least Voldemort doesn't preach self-righteously when he proposes doing the same things to muggle-borns that you want done to Slytherins." 

"Harry! Ron does not want to kill every Slytherin." Hermione screeched indignantly. The injustice and falsity of comparing Ron's dislike of Slytherins with Voldemort's attempt to eliminate muggle-borns had outraged the bushy haired girl. 

If there was one thing that could increase Harry's anger it was the use of the name chosen for him by James Potter. Upon hearing Hermione addressing him as Harry, he turned towards her his eyes blazing with renewed fury and slammed his fists on the table in an effort to release his pent up aggression. He didn't even respond to the point Hermione had made, because he was so fixated on what she had called him. "Do not ever call me that name ever again. My name is Jason! Use it." He snapped viciously, scaring even himself by the amount of hostility in his voice. The stunned silence that followed and the shocked look on everyone's faces was broken when Harry slammed his fists on the table for a second time. Again it did nothing to help his temper, nor did not help the anger that had awoken within Ron in response to the rage of his best friend. 

"You know, perhaps, James is right, perhaps you are a death eater," he yelled, blinded by the fury at seeing Hermione treated so harshly, "Why else would you treat Hermione so harshly and why else would defend them?" 

It took every bit of Harry's self control to prevent himself from punching Ron in the face. A desire awoken by Ron's libellous words and that would forever afterwards be a source of immense guilt, simply because he felt it so intensely. Even with his anger blinding all rational thought, the prospect of getting into a fight with his best friend was enough to prevent him from following through with it. Instead, he did the only other thing he could: he ran straight back to Malfoy Manor, knowing full well that by remaining in the same room as the elfin boy he would not be unable to prevent the immense satisfaction of beating his best friend senseless. 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

If you don't like the ending then the next chapter should be sometime next week hopefully. 

In case you've forgotten Harry is 'Jason' and 'Leo' whilst Ron is 'Caranthir'. If you were confused by the timeline in the last chapter don't worry it's not important, all you need to know was written in the previous sentence. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 17, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	20. Apologies

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 12th April 2004 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 18: APOLOGIES 

There were seven elves in total, of which Harry recognised three, namely Ron and his biological parents. He presumed that another of the elves was Olessë, the husband of Ron's mother. Which of the two tall blond haired elfish men, both of whom Once Harry's rage had passed, guilt and worry overcame him, guilt for acting towards his friends in the way he did and worries that his friends, Ron and Hermione especially, now hated him. Therefore, it was a relief when a house elf appeared at twenty past seven telling Harry that Ron or 'Lord Caranthir' as the elf called him, was in the entrance hall and wanted to speak to him urgently. That Harry and the Malfoys were about to floo out of Malfoy Manor to Hogsmeade for the Slytherin Council meeting that was to be held at Hogwarts was of no concern. Pausing only to tell Lucius that he would be five minutes, he rushed off without a second thought. 

It was a very nervous Ron that awaited Harry in the grand entrance hall to Malfoy Manor. The elfin boy was pacing the entrance hall looking extremely pale as Harry sprinted in from the left-hand doorway. Harry felt a little nervous too, but it was nothing compared to how Ron must have felt. 

Upon hearing Harry's footsteps, Ron turned to the direction where they had come from, finding himself staring straight at the nervous visage of his best friend. Seeing Harry acting so nervously shocked Ron, he had been almost manage to convince himself that the blond Gryffindor hated him now. Buoyed by the falsity of his worst fears, Ron spoke, however, his new found confidence was not reflected in his voice, "I came to apologise for what I said to you earlier. I don't know what came over me, what I said was stupid, I regretted it the moment I said it. I wanted to apologise right then, but you ran off. Merlin, Harry, I thought you hated me," Suddenly, his confidence cracked and in a very nervous voice he asked, "You don't hate me do you?" 

Harry was shocked by how unconfident Ron sounded, and how little faith he had in the strength of the bond of friendship that existed between Harry and Ron. The very idea of him hating Ron seemed strange to Harry, even after their argument and the words which had riled up Harry so much. Even at the height of their falling out in fourth year Harry had never disliked Ron. "Of course I don't hate you!" Harry exclaimed, sounding both offended and surprised at him suddenly hating his best friend after such an argument, "If anything I should be the one apologising to you, for treating you and Hermione so badly…" 

"Harry…" Ron began to protest, but he was cut off by Harry, who wasn't going to let his best friend take the blame for their earlier argument. 

"You were merely reacting to my awful treatment of Hermione. I may not like people using it, but to yell at them for not knowing better is unforgivable. I was the one who started it, because I overreacted to that comment of yours about the Slytherins," Harry stated guiltily. At this point Ron again tried to interrupt, but Harry wouldn't have it. "Let me finish Ron," he pleaded before continuing. "I shouldn't have shouted at you because of it, because you don't know better. How could you? You don't know any Slytherins." 

"Harry, it doesn't matter what you did. I still shouldn't have said the things I did." Ron responded. It was almost as if the elfin boy was pleading to be held blamed for his words and held responsible for Harry running off. The blond Gryffindor, however, was having none of it. 

"Ron, you prat, I've already forgiven you. You didn't mean what you were saying, whereas I did." Harry replied light-heartedly. Despite his good humour, his best friend's stubbornness was beginning to annoy and concern him. Thus it was much to Harry's relief that Ron suddenly seemed to accept Harry's forgiveness and turn his attention to Harry's own guilt. 

"And I've forgiven you, even if you did mean what you said," Ron replied sternly, looking and feeling a lot happier now that he had been forgiven, "I know that you can't always control your temper, I'm the same. I just want to know why you suddenly seem to think that the Slytherins aren't all bad and why me saying that they are made you angry?" 

Harry couldn't help but grin at his friends conciliatory words, not least Ron's newfound willingness to try and understand what the Slytherins were really like. Although he couldn't help but be a little surprised, given his best friend's earlier intransigent belief that all Slytherins were evil, "Is that you speaking or did Hermione ask you say that?" He quipped curiously. The thought that his best friend might be offended by the comment didn't occur to him until it was too late; by which time Ron had grinned in response and let out a short snigger. 

"She might have said something and she was desperate to come with me, but her parents dragged her away. But seriously Harry, I know that you trust Malfoy, but we're worried that he might hurt you," It was the wrong thing to say because a lack of thunder suddenly crossed the young Malfoy's face. Worried that he had set off Harry's temper again Ron hastily tried to calm his best friend down. "We're not saying that you're wrong to trust him, it's just that we don't and we want to find out why you do. We're your friends, it's our job to look out for you, it's what friends do." This was accompanied by what Ron thought was a reassuring grin, which did nothing to help calm Harry. His words, however, were extremely effective. 

"Fine, I'll try and arrange something so that both you and Hermione can be there to meet him. I would suggest you see him now, but we're about to go out." The blond Gryffindor was relieved that his friends were actually willing to make a genuine effort to get to know Lucius. He had been worried that his friends were going to judge Lucius according to their preconceptions rather than the man he actually knew. 

"You're going out? Isn't Malfoy supposed to be under house arrest, or is he allowed to go out if he has a patrol officer with him like earlier?" Ron asked, sounding surprised and concerned, of which the later sentiment irritated Harry immensely. 

"Technically, he is supposed to be under house arrest or at least he must be accompanied by a Magical Law Enforcement Patrol Officer at all times, when outside the manor grounds. In reality though, he can do what he likes as long as he tells Fudge what Voldemort's plans are, after all he can't be an effective spy if he's been tracked everywhere by the ministry. The Officer accompanying him earlier was just for show." Harry explained, telling Ron the gist of what he knew. There was a lot more to Lucius' parole conditions than this, but his explanation conveyed the most important details. 

"Bloody hell. Surely the aurors know better than to let a convicted death eater do what he wants, even if he was supposed to be their spy?" Ron exclaimed, hastily phrase hastily added, so as to avoid upsetting Harry by presuming Lucius to be loyal to the dark lord. 

"The aurors have nothing to do with Lucius, the minister didn't trust them to leave him alone so he appointed the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol to monitor him instead. It's a case of the Slytherins sticking together." Harry answered, half-expecting Ron to make against the arrangements in place. Surprisingly though the elfin boy didn't, although he looked as though he didn't approve of them, his words, however, were less than approving. 

"Typical, Malfoy's parole officers happen to be just the people who would let him get away with murder." Ron muttered distastefully, before asking, "Where's he going anyway and when are you leaving?" 

"The Slytherins are meeting to discuss ways to oppose Voldemort, and for some reason they invited me too. We were supposed to leave five minutes ago, but you turned up. Now that everything's sorted I really ought to be going," Harry replied, checking his watch. He made to leave, stopping only to listen to Ron's goodbye and then add something he had thought of earlier, but only just remembered. 

"I'll let you go then," the elfin boy said hesitantly. It looked as though the last thing he wanted was for Harry to go. 

Harry, who was already half way down the corridor only heard the reluctant tone. Upon hearing he turned and made a suggestion, to his friend, one that he hoped would help Ron overcome his prejudices against Slytherins. "You know you said, were having problems making friends among the elves because you have nothing in common with them?" He asked, producing a hesitant but affirmative response, "What about Zabini, have you tried becoming friends with him?" As Harry expected the answer was no. 

"But he's a Slytherin!" Ron protested Slytherin, sounding as if that was a reason to avoid him at all costs. 

"I know he's a Slytherin, but he's also a Hogwarts student. If anyone can help you he can." Harry replied trying to sound diplomatic. Judging from the look of protest it didn't really work in convincing his friend, but he continued anyway, "I'm worried about you not making friends among your own kind, Ron and I'm sure both Mrs Weasley and Aranel are too. If you don't like it, do it for me and for them." Without waiting for a response to his plea, he rushed off back to the waiting Malfoys. 

Surprisingly neither Lucius nor Draco even commented on Harry's disappearance, making Harry wonder whether the later even knew that the 'Caranthir' Harry had been so desperate to see was really Ron. The former certainly didn't. Instead they flooed to Hogsmeade, Lucius leading the way, and walked up to Hogwarts, where Professor Snape was waiting in the entrance hall, greeting or at least monitoring the arrivals. Although, given that he was engaged in a conversation with the Minister of Magic he couldn't have been doing a good job. He did, however, break off briefly to speak to Lucius. 

"Your seat is next to mine at the high table, as you'll be speaking first. You should also know that the counter-proposal is being presented by Ellanora Lacetter rather than her husband, which makes me wonder whether Julius was one of the ones you killed last night. She speaks second and Harold Jacobson will speak third," he whispered hurriedly, provoking a question from Lucius. 

"Jacobson? Why isn't Celadrim Zabini arguing for neutrality this time?" Lucius exclaimed, sounding genuinely surprised and slightly concerned. Unsurprisingly, Harry was not aware of the reasons why Celadrim's actions were so significant. 

"He's making a long speech after the allegiance issue has been decided, so he's saving himself for that. His grandson, Blaise, won't be speaking either, he says he doesn't want to influence the decision," Snape replied. Lucius merely nodded in acceptance and the two men parted company. Snape returned to his conversation with the minister and Lucius, along with Harry, Draco and Narcissa, walked into the great hall, which had been rearranged for the occasion. 

The high table was still there, even if the headmaster's ornate chair had been replaced with a plain wooden high backed seat, the house tables, however, were nowhere to be seen. Instead rows of chairs had been throughout the entire hall, many of which were already occupied and the rest of which were being gradually filled by the stream of people entering the great hall. Harry merely followed the Malfoys as they strode to the front of the hall, where they found three seats waiting for him, Draco and Narcissa, which had been reserved for them by Lucas and Maria, Lucas' Mother. Lucius stopped only to great the pair before taking his seat at the high table. 

"Hello Gorgeous. How's your life as the second most beautiful person on the planet," Lucas drawled cheerily as Harry sat down next to him and Draco. 

The Gryffindor's initial response was to roll his eyes in annoyance, whilst he had a certain fondness for his cousin, he had not missed the egotistical comments that Lucas was so fond of. "You know," Harry replied cheekily, determined that for once he was not going to fall to Lucas' level, "Here I was wondering why no-one seems to like the Malfoys, and you know what? With you two as examples, it's no wonder, you're both unbearable." 

There was a giggle from behind Harry, who turned round to see Pansy Parkinson sitting in the seat behind him. "Pansy!" Draco cried, outraged that his girlfriend seemed to find Harry's comment. He took her reaction to mean that she agreed with the Gryffindor. 

Lucas was far less aggravated by Harry's words. "Relax, cousin," he said placatingly, "Your girlfriend was laughing at the utter absurdity of Leo's suggestion. As for your half-brother, he is obviously not yet used to the extreme jealousy us Malfoys experience in our everyday lives. He is merely taking out the anger and frustration that such attention generates on us." Even Harry knew that Lucas did not seriously believe what he was saying, but was simply trying to calm Draco by feeding his ego. It worked like a treat. 

"If only it were jealousy, rather than ignorance and prejudice," Harry muttered to himself taking up Lucas' comments. He was still disgusted and annoyed by what he had seen and learnt at Diagon Alley earlier that day. 

"That is why the two of us are better than they are," Lucas said firmly, without any hint of humour. Harry looked quizzically at his cousin and found that not hint of mischief in his eyes or in his facial expression. It was strange to see Lucas so intensely serious. Seeing Harry's look of curiosity, Lucas explained his words, "It is not our better looks or superior intellects that make us better than the average wizard, although they certainly help. It is our more enlightened beliefs and the fact that we can see not just that prejudice is wrong, but that it is dangerous too. My father always said that too is prejudice, but I don't care." 

"He's right, but I bet you just like to think you're superior to everyone else, you arrogant git," Harry replied sternly, knowing that his cousin's retort would be accompanied by his normal mischievous demeanour and it was. 

"That is because I am superior to everyone else, with you my cousin, a close second." Lucas retorted. Harry rolled his eyes, but made no response, he had already made his disgust at Lucas' arrogance clear. Even if he had, Lucas would have not had the time to respond due to the loud bang that accompanied a call for silence so the meeting could begin. Professor Snape, who was sitting at his usual seat at the high table, rose to speak. 

"Before I begin, I wish to express my apologies for calling a meeting at such short notice. However, recent events have indicated to both the high council and myself that it is time to decide our relationship with the dark lord once and for all. Tonight we must decide whether Slytherin house resolves to support the dark lord or oppose him. We had wanted to meet tomorrow night, but due to the urgency of the situation Celadrim insisted we meet now, even though he cannot attend the first half-hour of this meeting. He will be here later and he will speak once we have resolved where we stand. First though we must debate the two motions put before us, as we do so I want each of you to consider Celadrim's closing remarks at this morning's meeting of the High Council. 'Tonight we decide not just our attitude to the dark lord, but the possessor of Salazar's Legacy. Two paths lay before us, the first is the dark lord's way: we destroy those that oppose us. The second is the way of his enemies: we destroy the prejudices of those that oppose us and show them the stupidity of their stereotypes. The later is less likely to succeed but if the dark lord achieves his goals, we risk the future of the entire wizarding world. The status quo is not an option.'" It wasn't a long speech nor it was particularly passionately delivered, even by Snape's cold, emotionless standards. However, it certainly got the Slytherins muttering among themselves. So much so that Lucius had several minutes for the commotion to die down before he could get up to make his speech, which repeated what he had said the previous night directly to Voldemort, adding only a description of the night's events and an explanation of his successful attempt to provoke a death eater revolt. 

The speech which followed Lucius' was made by a dark haired women of about Lucius' age whose good looks were marred by the disgusted sneer, which was far more pronounced than the looks of superiority some Slytherins would give those they regarded as their inferiors. Together with her glare of cold fury, which seemed to be directed mainly at Lucius, it was a look of sheer hatred. Her speech, which was delivered as a rant against Lucius' betrayal of Voldemort, angered Harry immensely due to the amount of hostility to muggles and muggle-borns contained within it. Even Lucas, who claimed to be used to such displays of anti-muggle prejudice and thereby unaffected by them, looked annoyed by it. 

The speech that followed was as notable for its pessimism as the previous speech was for its hostility to muggles. It was delivered by a balding man of about Professor McGonagalls age, who seemed to think that any attempts to make Slytherin a respected house were doomed to failure. He followed this up with some reference to the 'dark legacy of Slytherin', which Harry, who was thoroughly bored by the speaker, didn't really pay much attention to. All he paid attention to was the conclusion, which was to assert that to force someone to either oppose or support Voldemort was 'unslytherin'. All Harry needed to know was that Draco, who had paid attention, regarded the argument as flawed and invalid. 

Equally uninteresting was the flow of death eaters who Snape called upon to speak after the balding man. Each of them was fiercely critical of Voldemort and at first Harry was intrigued by what they had to say, but as they kept on repeating each other proceedings soom became dull and Harry lost interest, until that is Benvolio Montague stood up to speak. 

**

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In case you've forgotten Harry is 'Jason' and 'Leo' whilst Ron is 'Caranthir'. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 18, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	21. Debate

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains major spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 30th June 2004 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 20: DEBATE 

I do not wish to repeat the words of my friends and former colleagues, we have heard more than enough about the failings of the dark lord. Instead I wish to highlight the main reason why we let ourselves fall into his trap in the first place and how we can prevent a repeat. Many of you will not like what I have to say." Montague declared seriously when he stood up to speak. He was a tall muscular man with short black hair Unsurprisingly, he possessed a striking resemblance to his son, Uther, who had been captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team last year. Like his son, though, he spoke with an intelligence that belied his Crabbe and Goyle like appearance. 

"Lucius has already alluded to it when he said that we were desperate for a powerful leader to defeat the muggle lover Dumbledore. Yet, unlike his late brother he refuses to accept that his brother provided exactly that. All we wanted was a powerful Slytherin who shared our puritanical beliefs, and in the dark lord we got one. He has done all we have asked of him – he has eliminated many of our enemies and killed a large number of mudbloods. That such actions are slowly destroying the possibility of our dream of a wholly pure wizarding society shows not that his methods are flawed but that our dream is misguided. We are wrong to desire a wizarding society completely free from the corrupting influence of muggle blood." Harry was not the only one shocked by the former death eater's words. Judging from the amount of whispering most of the Slytherins were surprised too and some of them looked outraged, Lucius being a prime example. As Harry expected, though, his words were accompanied by a qualification, "I am not saying that we should suddenly welcome mudbloods with open arms as Dumbledore wants us to," he continued, stressing his words so as to ease his audience's fears. "There are certain standards a witch or wizard must meet and which many fail to meet, mudbloods among them. It is often wrongly assumed that blood determines whether a witch or wizard meets these criteria, when in fact it is knowledge that is the determing factor. Status, like talent does not depend on a person's blood. We all remember the talented mudblood from our school days, who was among the best in our year, both in terms of knowledge and power, as well as the near squib pureblood who lacked both. Neither of these two former classmates ever achieve respectability and dignity, the near squib lacks the necessary power, whilst the mudblood, held back by his or her muggle upbringing, does not possess the required knowledge needed to become part of the elite, knowledge that we take for granted. They are, however, more than capable of achieving greatness, we just need to teach them properly." 

"Of course some of you disagree with the presence of mudbloods within our society because of the danger to our existence presented by their unbreakable bonds to the muggle world. We all know of the witch burnings of the middle ages and the persecution our kind has faced throughout history at the hands of muggles, yet we seem to conveniently seem to forget that muggles no longer even believe we exist and that many of those that know otherwise do not hate us. If a mudblood or one of their relatives told the muggle world of our existence they would be laughed at and detained in a mental hospital. No one would believe him or her and everything would continue as it is. It is easy to conclude, therefore, that the contribution mudbloods make to our society, however minimal, outweighs the risks associated with their presence. They are an integral and inalienable part of our society as a whole. They are also a part of society that has no place within our number," Harry was not the only to be depressed by the fact that this was the only part of Montague's speech to receive applause. Indeed, Montague himself looked less than pleased by his audience's reaction to his words about the place of muggleborns with in Slytherin, a point he expressed only through his stern facial expression and the harsh tone of his following words. "We are first and foremost the house of the pureblood elite, our values and ideals are those of the wizarding aristocracy, among whom mudbloods have no place. Many of us see mudbloods as a threat to your position in society and therefore adopt anti-muggle beliefs, which we then mistakenly to be core Slytherin ideals, when they are in fact pragmatic reactions to an imagined threat. Any real threat to our position, from rich and poor, mudblood and pureblood or Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw is a direct consequence of these paranoid mugglephobic prejudices. If we wish to heal the rift that exists between ourselves and the rest of our kind then we must make the first move and adopt a more sensible and pragmatic attitude to mudbloods. It is the only way; anything else is doomed to failure." 

This final sentence seemed to linger in the air for several minutes after the end of Montague's speech, imposed by the Slytherin's dominating presence, which whilst aimed solely at Lucius, seemed to spread throughout the hall stilling all possibility of conversation and further speakers. It was as if the whole speech had been aimed solely at usurping Lucius' position as the unofficial head of the former death eaters, a challenge neither Lucius nor Draco seemed to take kindly to, if their intense reactions to the ongoing staring contest between Harry's father and his intellectual challenger was any indication. Lucius was clearly scowling, whilst Draco was openly shooting death glares at Montague. Everybody and everything was deadly silent, especially Lucius. Nobody dared interrupt the battle for power that was going on before their very eyes, except that is for Blaise Zabini. Harry hadn't noticed the newcomer enter the great hall towards the end of Montague's speech, but the young elf obviously had as after several minutes after tense silence he waved towards a tall, blond haired elf standing at the back of the room and indicated for the newcomer to come and sit at the front. When the mysterious elf shook his head, Zabini stood up and made his way to the late arrival. He made no sound, but his movement was enough to diffuse the tension and allow the speeches to continue. 

Such tension was typical of the ensuing debate about whether an anti-muggle ideology was part of the 'Slytherin Legacy', a term that was used to describe the traits and beliefs which defined what made someone a Slytherin. The discussion was extremely fierce and the participants were not above personal attacks on those on the opposing side. To Harry the passion aroused by the debate was rather bemusing, although he could understand why they took the subject matter so seriously, it was just that he found the whole idea of debating what it meant to be a Slytherin rather than simply accepting the sorting hat's verdict as quite odd and rather pathetic. He wasn't particularly surprised though; it was just another facet of Slytherin elitism and the extreme pride, which the serpent house seemed to generate within its members. Despite this rather bemused reaction he recognised the importance of the issue, he did feel quite strongly about the injustice of discrimination and prejudice against muggle-borns and consequently found himself agreeing with many of the arguments put forward by Montague's backers, many of whom were more pro-muggle than Montague himself. The type of passion which lead to Professor Umbridge angrily accusing Julius Flint of branding half of Slytherin house as traitors to the Slytherin Legacy escaped him however. Flint, of course, denied the accusation in an equally vehement manner. Nonetheless it was precisely such displays of strong feelings and raw emotion which made the whole spectacle so interesting, as whilst each put forward different arguments they all boiled down to Montague's side claiming that many Slytherins throughout history, famous of otherwise, had no particular dislike of muggle-borns, whilst Lucius' side took Salazar Slytherin's own legendary hatred of those with less than pure blood to indicate that all Slytherins had a moral responsibility to adopt such views themselves. To Harry this later argument seemed ridiculous, but even Montague's proponents seemed to think otherwise as they made a great effort to provide dubious counter examples or vain excuses as to why muggle-hating should not be part of the Slytherin Legacy. Strangely, the points Montague had made in his own speech were hardly referred to. 

It was just after Flint's response to Umbridge that Pansy Parkinson's rather frustrated father leaned towards Lucas' Mother, Maria, and asked her whether she would put an end to the debate, which he described as a glorified shouting match, and speak of her husband's work on the Slytherin Legacy. Maria's reply was to say that Snape would call on her when he was ready to do so, an eventuality that came to pass just a few minutes later. Her speech was delivered in a dry, academic manner that was complete contrast to the emotion of the previous speakers, however, the content more than made up for the boring manner of its delivery. Her explanation of 'the healer', an aspect of Slytherin's legacy that Janus had mentioned several times in Harry's presence, left Harry pondering whether her words had any relationship to him. This was so mush so that he barely listened to Ellanora Lacetter's shrill protestations that she was in fact referring to Voldemort. 

"I do not possess my husband's expertise on the healer legend," Harry's red-headed aunt began, "Nevertheless, I shall make a contribution in his stead. I am sure most of you know the legend, but for those who don't I shall repeat it anyway," she continued. Lucius' glance in Harry's direction made it perfectly clear that the explanation was being made mainly for the Gryffindor's benefit. The legend is derived from Salazar's final letter to Edward Timmes, dated 21st August 1014, in which he bemoans – and I quote – 'the legacy of antagonism, hatred and destruction that has overcome the Hogwarts house that bears my name since I was forced from the school.' He follows this line with an unusually optimistic comment, saying that and again I quote, 'You and I both know that such a legacy cannot last forever. There will come a time when my legacy shall be healed from the evil that has usurped it. I cannot envisage any such action being initiated from within the house; Godric always maintained that we Slytherins are far too attached to our prejudices and for once he was right. All that matters is that my time shall come, it saddens me that I shall not live to see it.' These lines of Salazar's have often been linked to the final prophecy of Morgana, the famous celto-roman seer who lived just after the collapse of the Roman Empire. The prophecy states that: 

_ "The healer shall come with the lightning to heal the thousand-year legacy of destruction. He shall be the serpent tongue who is not a serpent, the son of the lioness estranged from his serpent kin. By his side his kin must stand and by his hand the destroyer must fall or nothing shall withstand the destruction. _

"There is no indication that Salazar Slytherin was aware of the prophecy, although Timmes was known to have been and was the first to link the two. He came up with the idea of the mythical healer, who he saw as a young Gryffindor unwillingly estranged from his family and that consequently he belonged in our house but had rejected us on the basis of our bad reputation. According to Timmes, the healer would reconcile with his family and show the other houses that we are not as they believe us to be, thus fulfilling Morgana's prophecy. 

"My point is that anti-muggle prejudice cannot be part of Salazar's legacy, because it is the one thing that the other houses hate about us the most. They see such prejudice and our backing of those who act on it as morally unacceptable and a declaration of inter-house warfare. I cannot envisage the healer as being an exception to this. The healer is still an outsider, a Gryffindor outsider at that, regardless of who his family is. As it is the job of the healer to show us Salazar's true legacy, the legacy cannot contain anything, which would the more sensible elements of the other houses, as anti-muggle prejudice undoubtedly does. We can only speculate as to how a Gryffindor is supposed to show us Salazar's legacy, as many have, my husband and I have always maintained that it would emerge as a by-product of the healer's attempts to reconcile our differences with the other houses, although there are those who disagree with us. There is another unresolved question regarding the healer's attitude to the dark arts, upon which I cannot comment, I believe it would be best if I let the healer himself speak on such a sensitive matter." Harry was almost certain that the last point regarding the dark arts was in response to an argument put forward by Julius Flint, which was based on his assertion that Gryffindors objected more to the dark arts than to anti-muggle prejudice. Harry himself certainly thought that the later was worse, as the unforgivable curses, as proved by the aurors in the previous war against Voldemort, could be used for the right purposes even if they were inherently evil, whereas nothing good even came out of hating muggles. Such thoughts on the nature of the dark arts were secondary, however, to the overwhelming suspicion that the speech had been aimed at him. This was backed up by the glance directed towards him by Maria as she sat down. 

Ellanora Lacetter spoke next, her speech, if her crazed ramblings could be described as such, did nothing to convince anybody of her argument, except perhaps the old woman who followed her. Like Lacetter, the old woman, whose name seemed vaguely familiar seemed to think that Voldemort was the mythical figure Maria described. He got the impression that the old woman seemed to think that the dark lord was some sort of omnipotent god come to deliver the Slytherins from the tyranny of being oppressed by the other houses. As far as Harry was concerned both women were clearly insane and talking absolutely nonsense, thus he paid little attention concentrating on Maria's speech about the healer. Despite such insanity, the old woman succeeded in aggravating Harry's rather short temper due to her comments about various things, distracting him from his thoughts. One such remark about the supposed glory of muggle hunting reminded Harry of where he heard the woman's name before. Sirius, Harry remembered, had pointed out Araminta Meliflua on the Black family tree as being the woman who had tried to legalise muggle hunting, a realisation that only made Harry hate the woman even more. What annoyed Harry the most, however, was her characterisations of the light side and Gryffindors in particular as arrogant self-righteous lunatics whose pompousness was only matched by their incompetence. It was an indication of Harry's anger that he was riled by the obviously ridiculous claims that the light side was secretly plotting to destroy the ministry, disband Slytherin house and kill all that opposed them. It was a claim best summed up by Draco, who muttered that she seemed to have confused the objectives of the light side with those of the dark lord. However, her repetition of the Daily Prophet's old portrayal of Harry as a deranged attention-seeker who rushed into things with the aim of harming those around him had no effect, simply because he heard it so often before, mainly from Draco. As it was by the time Araminta Meliflua sat down Harry was fuming and by the looks of things as was Lucas and, judging from the expression of loathing on his face, Snape, who rather than simply saying the name of the next speaker, stood up and said a few words. 

"Whilst I can only agree with Mrs. Meliflua's comments about Harry Potter, having taught him for five years, it is customary for the chair of the council to allow guest's an opportunity to respond to attacks on their character," At this point Lucius appeared to matter a few words to Snape, presumably to remind the potions master that no-one by the name of Harry Potter was present and that giving such a person an opportunity to respond would result in silence. Judging by the expression on Snape's face it appeared that such a reminder was not needed. "I am aware of the fact that Potter is not present, however, due to special circumstances, Leo Malfoy has been nominated to speak on his behalf." 

Harry had been warned by Lucius that Snape would find an excuse to call upon to speak and that he should be prepared to say a few words about inter-house relations. Despite Lucius' warning, he hadn't been planning to actually say anything though, consequently he hadn't prepared anything to say. Araminta Meliflua had changed the situation though by annoying Harry so much that he wanted to punch her or at least tell her how wrong she was. He was too angry to care that such a course of action would provide the worst possible advertisement for inter-house relations. Thankfully, Lucas, who was well aware of what Harry was about to and the stupidity of doing it, intervened. 

"Calm down!" He hissed quietly at Harry, just as the Gryffindor was about to stand up to speak, "I know you're a Gryffindor, but here that's irrelevant. Here you're a Malfoy, from the top of your perfect platinum blond hair to the tips of the second sexiest toes in existence. You're an ally of Slytherin, an enemy of those that think you evil simply because your family is mainly Slytherins. You can shout at deranged old women all you want, but that's not going to stop your housemates from hating you and hating us because of some ridiculous stereotype." 

"Stop thinking like a Potter!" Draco intervened, picking up on what Lucas was trying to do, "All shouting at Meliflua will do is prove to everyone that you're just as prejudiced as your housemates! You're better than that. You want to eliminate their prejudices. Prove it!" 

It was hardly the most effective way of calming Harry down, but combined with Draco's look of fierce determination the two boys at least succeeded in convincing Harry to not shout wildly at Araminta Meliflua. He spoke though with the old woman in mind though, just as he kept in mind the anti-Slytherin prejudices of the people he had seen in Diagon Alley that afternoon. Lucas and Draco had reminded him of the people who should be the true targets of his anger and for that Harry was thankful. 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

The next chapter shoul be out soon. It's already written (albeit on paper), it just needs typing up and some revising. I know I've been a bit sporadic with my updating, but I have been writing, it's just that most of it's not on the computer yet. Consequently, I should be able to complete this fic within the next few months, as long as real life doesn't intervene too much. 

In case you've forgotten Harry is 'Jason' and 'Leo' whilst Ron is 'Caranthir'. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 18, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review.


	22. Speeches

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains major spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 2nd July 2004 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 21: SPEECHES 

"My name is Leo Malfoy, I am a Malfoy who was sorted into Gryffindor," Harry began forcefully, there was no pride in his voice merely assurance and cast iron certainty, the evidence of which disguised the extreme nervousness which had overcome him when his anger at Meliflua had faded. The sight of the packed Great Hall was the main cause of his nervousness, he had never seen so many people gathered in one place – not even at Kings Cross or Diagon Alley. However, his opening words had significantly eased his nerves, and calmed him immensely. He wasn't proud of being a Malfoy and he wasn't especially proud of being a Gryffindor, however, he bore no grudge against his father and the other Malfoys – not anymore. He was annoyed by his housemates' prejudices, but he bore no grudge against them either. The calming effect induced by the affirmation of his status as a Malfoy in Gryffindor was a reaction to the injustice of the prejudices perpetrated by both his housemates and several members of his family. He knew it sounded almost Lucas-like in its arrogance but the knowledge that he was better than them in this respect gave him strength and confidence. 

"I am not the first person from a Slytherin family to be sorted into Gryffindor, many people have been in my position, but few have retained their ability to see beyond the arrogant façade and prejudiced beliefs of a few to the true Slytherin that all of you are. It is as if being sorted blinds them to the honour, the loyalty and the pride that define your very beings, traits that I and all friends of Slytherin admire greatly. I am certain my feelings would be shared by everyone, if they weren't so blinded by the stereotypes and prejudices that corrupt our society or misled by their righteous hatred for those that corrupt Slytherin's name to suit their own evil desires. Voldemort has no honour or loyalty to those that serve him; he is no Slytherin. I know this, you know this, but they do not. We must show them their mistake; we must destroy the lies that divide our respective houses. We must show them that no true Slytherin can ever be a death eater, because all pride is lost when serving someone as insane as Voldemort. We must show them that no true Slytherin can be evil because killing and hurting innocents is dishonourable. We must show them that all true Slytherins are trustworthy, because loyalty requires it. But then who am I, a Gryffindor, to judge what it means to be a Slytherin? I do not see the honour in denying a quarter of the wizarding population the opportunity to use their gift for magic simply because of an accident of birth, despite being assured many times by Lucius to do so would be both extremely honourable and very desirable. I'm not the only one, some of you don't understand this claim and far more disagree with it, whilst the vast majority of right-minded non-Slytherin not only disagree with it, but find it deeply offensive. And that's the problem. Whilst those of you who agree with Lucius continue to promote your anti-muggle prejudices reconciliation between the houses is impossible. I may be prepared to ignore such beliefs, my friends will not and nothing I can do will change that. They will tolerate anybody calling for themselves, their friends and their family to be expelled from the wizarding world, anyone who advocates such beliefs is their enemy, nothing will ever change that, not even your mythical Healer. One person cannot reunite the houses, it requires action by everyone, it requires to set aside their prejudices and it requires everyone to genuinely want to end the division that blights the wizarding world. We have to tell my housemates why reuniting the houses is so important. They were warned at last years sorting of the need to unite the houses, yet they blindly ignored it, thinking that it does not apply to the people in this room. Their prejudices have blinded them to the truth, to the desperate need for unity, but then they do not know Voldemort as we do, they do not know his strength or the overwhelming need for his quick defeat. They do not know that everyone must stand united or else nothing worthwhile will survive. They must be shown this, the houses must be united, Voldemort's defeat requires it. I intend to everything that I can to oppose him, as do most of you. Well, you can start be putting aside your prejudices and reuniting the houses. It may be difficult, but it has to be done, if you don't Voldemort will win. It's as simple as that." 

It was a tour de force of passionate rhetoric, in which Harry's natural oratory skills were clearly evident. It was a speech that came directly from the heart, a vocalisation of Harry's thoughts on the inter-house rivalry and Slytherin in general, an expression of the disgust he felt towards his prejudiced housemates, his anger a the anti-muggle prejudice perpetrated by some of the Slytherins and his hatred of Voldemort and the discrimination the Slytherins faced. That he was simply saying what he felt was unmistakable as the speech was delivered with the type of fierce determination which was impossible to fake. This same fierceness also made it perfectly obvious that he was saying the first thing that came into his head a point backed up his lack of notes, despite this, there was little hesitation in his words. 

"An excellent speech, even if I do disagree with you on one or two points," Draco commented, once Harry had sat down. The compliment caught the Gryffindor completely be surprise and met with a suspicious reaction. He couldn't detect any hint of insult or deceit in the Slytherin's words though. However, his surprise at Draco's words was nothing compared to his reaction to the words that followed, "But then I'd expect nothing less my brother," he commented as if calling Harry his brother was the most normal thing in the world. To Harry such a description was anything but normal as his startled reaction indicated. It was a reaction, which forced Draco to explain his reason for the description. "You said so yourself, right at the beginning of your speech" he said, clearly amused by Harry's shock, "I know you said the same thing last night, but this time you truly meant it." 

Harry wasn't sure how he felt about Draco being his brother, during the past twenty-four hours he'd seen a side of his school rival, which he had never thought, existed. It was enough for Harry to prefer being the Slytherin's brother rather than his enemy, but beyond that he wasn't sure what to think. Draco, ever the Slytherin, was prepared to accept Harry as his brother the moment he was certain actually wanted to be a Malfoy. Harry had been under no illusion that until that moment Draco's kindness had been based upon his father's trust in Harry and the events of the previous night, in which Harry's participation had been necessary. Harry was pretty sure that Draco trusted him now, and he knew that he should trust the Slytherin too, but he found actually generating that trust quite hard. They had been enemies just twenty four hours previously after all. 

"I simply said what I felt," Harry said dismissively, responding to Draco's explanation. 

The Slytherin didn't reply as he, like Harry was too busy listening to the speech of Cornelius Fudge, who stood up to speak in Harry's defence. After bearing so much criticism from the power hungry Minister of Magic due to the Ministry's year long denial of Voldemort's return, Harry was moderately surprised to find the minister was now defending him. He felt it was a rather stupid reaction, but it was an indication of the low esteem in which Harry held Fudge. He was also surprised to find that the Minister was also quite an eloquent and fluent speaker when he wanted to be, if he hadn't seen the stack of papers lying on the table in front of the minister he would never have guessed the minister was using notes. The content of the speech also pleasantly surprised Harry although he did concentrate on how the workings of the ministry was held back by the innate suspicion that many people held towards former Slytherins, especially those from the more prominent Slytherin families. Fudge seemed to know what he was on about and built a seemingly convincing argument describing how much society as a whole would benefit from the smoother and more efficient ministry that result from a healing of the division between the houses. 

There were a few more speakers after the minister most of whom put forward a number of practical reasons for improving inter-house relationships and the reasons why such an improvement would benefit people's everyday lives. It appeared that Snape had decided to save the people who offered the most convincing arguments for change until the end of the debate, in what appeared a none too subtle attempt to sway the general opinion to the side he supported. He did allow Jacobson, who opposed any form of change to argue last, and to the balding man's credit he did a good job of the hopeless task of trying to rebut the arguments arranged against his position, but ultimately it was obvious to Harry that Jacobson's side had by far the weaker arguments, although they may have made more effect on some of the Slytherins. Nonetheless, Draco and Maria both made it clear that they expected to win by a convincing margin. Strictly speaking they were voting on the Slytherins attitude towards Voldemort, although even Snape made it perfectly that a vote to oppose Voldemort was equivalent to backing an attempt to heal the divisions between the houses, whilst voting for neutrality was equivalent to opposing any such reconciliation. Harry suspected though that one or two of the Slytherins who might disagree with closer relationships between the houses would vote oppose Voldemort anyway because of their attitude to the dark lord. However, Draco, who was probably the better judge of such matters, scoffed at this notion. As it was Harry turned out to be right. 

The vote itself wasn't a particular formal or complex affair, Snape read Lucius motion' declaring war on Voldemort, before asking for those supporting the motion and then those voting against the motion to raise their hands. As about three-quarters of the assembled Slytherins voted yes the motion passed, overwhelmingly, without Snape ever bothering to count the exact numbers. He then repeated the procedure for Ellanora Lacetter's counter motion supporting Voldemort and naming him the Heir of Slytherin, which received just twelve yes votes and an almost hundred percent no vote. The first act following the Slytherin's declaration of war on Voldemort was to expel his supporters from the Slytherin Council on the grounds of treachery – effectively removing them from Slytherin house. Snape listed twenty-two names, including Ellanora Lacetter, Araminta Meliflua and Eleanor Nott, grandmother of one of Draco's friends as well as Voldemort himself. Those present were given the opportunity to argue against the expulsion, although none bothered, preferring to use the time to condemn the Slytherins for rejecting Voldemort and threaten various people, including Harry, with the wrath of Voldemort and the remaining death eaters. Needless to say, the votes for expulsion were unanimous, with those supporting the death eaters abstaining. Once expelled those present were forcibly removed, without any concern for the expelled death eater sympathiser's well being. In fact it seemed as though every effort was taken to ensure that those expelled were 'accidentally injured' in every possible way. Silencing charms were used too, although this didn't prevent Theodore Nott from speaking out on his grandmother's behalf. As a result of his protest Nott was removed too, even though school rules meant that the Slytherin Council did not have the power to expel current Hogwarts students, which meant that the three students in attendance who were loyal to Voldemort were not subject to expulsion votes. Apparently school rules dictated that the students of a house could force the Headmaster to resort or even expel either one or a small group of their number long as the rest of the students in that house agreed. This meant that Nott's removal was technically against council rules, although no-one seemed to object after Snape made it clear that any objectors would suffer the same fate, another act that was, incidentally, also against council rules. Harry suspected that the resounding cheer that greeted this particular statement was more than enough to silence any potential protest from the two remaining death eater sympathisers. Harry also noticed that some of those death eaters imprisoned in Azkaban were among the expelled, although not all were voted on. From want Harry could gather, Fudge had visited earlier that day with Lucius and asked the prisoners whether they were willing to back the rebellion, only three had agreed. These three it appeared were going to be released in a few days under the same terms as Lucius. 

Once the process of expelling and removing the unwanted death eaters and those that sympathised with them was complete the blond elf to who Zabini had indicated earlier took over proceedings. "Is that all of them? I had thought there would be more of them," the elf asked Snape as he made his way to the front of the room. 

"Apart from the two remaining students that is all who were present. As far as I am aware we had no unwelcome guests, Cornelius and I took precautions against that," Snape replied calmly, not even bothering to stand up to speak, as he had been doing. "If you wish to take measures to deal with the students feel free, they are here because I wanted to leave the decision on whether to remove them to you." 

"It might become necessary later on, but leave them for now. I was more concerned with our rodent problem, which I am glad to say has already been dealt with," the elf commented cheerfully. Snape paid no attention to the obvious reference to Wormtail, which annoyed Harry immensely, Lucius, however, did. 

"Wormtail was here?" He asked, before Harry could ask exact same question. It sounded as if Pettigrew's capture was only of passing interest, although Harry was sure he was quite pleased that it had happened. 

"Indeed he is. Furthermore, he'll be in ministry custody by the morning and the day after, unless of course Dumbledore does something stupid." the elf replied, producing the rat animagus from the folds of his cloak and holding by his tail for all to see. It looked as though Wormtail had been knocked unconscious, presumably by a spell. Lucius indicated for Harry to give the rat a close examination, which Harry took great delight in doing, making sure to injure the rat in the process. 

"It's him alright," Harry said gleefully once he had finished the examination. He could have identified the animagus anywhere, having slept in the same dorm as him for three years, "And do make sure to kill him. I promised Sirius that I'd kill him if he transformed and I don't want to break that promise." 

"That sounds acceptable," the elf replied as he took Wormtail back, sounding deadly serious for the first time. Once the unconscious Wormtail was tucked safely inside the pockets of his robes the elf took a few steps backwards and began the speech that he had come to make. 

"Its seems that every time I make a speech to this body a Gryffindor somehow either hijacks my speech or forces me to alter what I have to say at the last minute. At least tonight I received a warning that one Gryffindor may require me to make an alteration and I am glad to say that Leo Malfoy did not disappoint. However, I did not expect the dark lord to send another Gryffindor to gatecrash our gathering and hijack my speech, fortunately our guest has been dealt with." He began in a light-hearted tone that befitted his opening words. However, his tone of voice altered as the content matter of the speech got more serious to match what he was saying. "I have no doubt that Lucius is dying to tell me that I shouldn't be that surprised and that the dark lord has a habit of doing the unexpected. My response is to plead that until recently I have had little to do with the dark lord. Regretfully, that has changed recently. 

"Within the next few months, he will try to storm Edoras and destroy the council of elders in an attempt not only to conquer the elfin world and claim the Slytherin Legacy. If he succeeds he will a start a war between my world and yours. The elfin armies will march on Hogwarts, forcibly driven here by the evil tyrant that controls them. Once he gets here he expects that as possessor of the Slytherin Legacy, all of you will bow before him and that consequently Hogwarts will fall. There is one flaw with the plan. Slytherin's Legacy is not at Edoras. Slytherin's Legacy is here in the hearts and minds of every single person in this room. Wyrmtongue is not Slytherin's Legacy, it's Slytherin's sword. His legacy is his achievement, the culmination of his life's work and the thing he wished to be remembered by. It is the house at this school that bears his name. It is the ideals that Slytherin house represent. It is something that the dark lord can never hope to possess. We are Slytherin's legacy. We are his heirs, we, the people sorted into Slytherin house in accordance with the instructions left by Salazar Slytherin house. We are the continuation of Salazar's life work. Together, we decide what a Slytherin is and who and who can be one. Together, we decide Slytherin's Legacy. The dark lord is an individual, he can do none of these things, as individually he was merely a single part of a whole, one among many. One man, however, powerful, cannot determine the nature of Slytherin's Legacy, not even Salazar and especially not the dark lord. 

"The dark lord and those who follow him failed to realise this and tonight they paid the price for their ignorance. They are no longer Slytherins, no longer part of Slytherin's Legacy, no longer Slytherin's heirs. Never again will a Slytherin serve before the dark lord, because the moment any one of us does, that person will cease to be a Slytherin. Tonight we changed the Slytherin Legacy, we decided that being a supporter of the dark side and being a Slytherin were mutually incompatible. We made another decision too; we decided that good relationships with the other houses are also part of Slytherin's Legacy. Tonight, with the aid of the Healer, we healed Slytherin's Legacy; we fulfilled Salazar's final wish. We have answered the two questions Maria Malfoy presented to as at the end of her speech. However, our task is incomplete. The healing has only just begun. We must now act to end our differences with the other houses. We must show the world that we are not as they believe us to be. We must show them that we are no longer their enemy. Doing so will not be easy, prejudices run deep. We will require the aid of the Healer. However, our task is a necessary one as it is part of Salazar's Legacy. Above all, though, it is a task in which we must and will succeed." 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

In case you've forgotten Harry is 'Jason' and 'Leo' whilst Ron is 'Caranthir'. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 19, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review.


	23. Press

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains major spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 18th July 2004 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 22: PRESS 

"LEO MALFOY: THE BOY WHO LIVED" the Front Page of the Daily Prophet screamed ten days after the meeting of the Slytherin Council, alongside two colour photos, one of his Malfoy appearance and another of his more famous Potter appearance. It was September 1st and it seemed that the Daily Prophet had decided to celebrate Harry's return to Hogwarts by telling the world of his new identity. It seemed that what little anonymity he hoped for at Hogwarts had been utterly destroyed. Consequently he was less than pleased with the little. He was also far from surprised that the Daily Prophet knew who he was. It was only a matter of knowing whether it had been Voldemort, Dumbledore or Lucius that had leaked the news – he suspected the former. Having said that the article portrayed the Malfoy Family, especially himself, in a particularly favourable light, but then he wasn't surprised; the paper was controlled by former Slytherins and the paper had been full of praise for Lucius' 'miraculous redemption'. Harry was also intrigued to note that there was a mention of his speech to the Slytherin council in the article, which read as follows: 

"The entire magical community was left reeling in shock yesterday after discovering that, Harry Potter the defeater of He who must not be named, is not a Potter, writes Rita Skeeter special correspondent. An anonymous source sensationally revealed that the Boy-Who-Lived, previously believed to be the only child of James and Lilly Potter, is in fact the son of reformed death eater Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy refused to comment on the allegations, but a ministry source confirmed that the boy we know as Harry Potter is in fact Leo Malfoy, the illegitimate offspring of a brief affair between Malfoy and Lilly Potter that friends of the late Mrs Potter say occurred when the couple worked for the Ministry Archives in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Once the affair ended it appears the illicit couple agreed to disguise their child as the son of Mrs Potter's and her husband, James Potter, leaving Potter unaware of the identity of his true father until earlier this summer, when he was sent to live at Mr Malfoy's Wiltshire home following the death of his muggle guardians. 

Despite initial problems arising from Malfoy's death eater past, Potter has settled in well and established a good relationship with his father. However, he has had problems getting on with Draco Malfoy, his half brother and a notorious school rival of Potter's at Hogwarts, where both boys are sixth years. "He much prefers the Malfoys to the muggles," said Hermione Granger, one of Harry's best friends. 

According to another friend, Potter has completely accepted his true parentage and now regards himself as a Malfoy. "He gets very angry if you call him Harry Potter," said the friend, who wished to remain anonymous. 

The news, which was first broken on WWN's popular 'witching hour' program, was soon followed by an alarmist statement from the Dark Forces Defence League. The statement expresses concern that Malfoy could prove to be a bad influence on Potter and calls for him to be removed from the Malfoy's 'dark influences'. However, such concerns were rubbished by both Potter's friends and Albus Dumbledore, whilst a spokesman for the Minister went as far to say that Potter had been major influence in Malfoy's rejection of who-know-who. The spokesman did admit though that Malfoy had affected Potter's beliefs, citing a passionate address Potter made to the secretive 'Wyrmtongue Society' of which both Malfoy and the Minister are members. In the speech Potter is said to have called for unity in the fight against You-Know-Who and the end to the distrust that graduates of Hogwarts' notorious Slytherin house, who are all commonly believed to be dark wizards. 

Harry was only marginally surprised to find out that the article had been written by Rita Skeeter. The Animagus reporter was not only a former Slytherin, but also probably the only reporter who knew who his friends were and capable of getting in contact with them. He did wonder though about Hermione's reaction to finding out that Rita Skeeter was planning to write an article about him. Harry's opinion of Rita Skeeter had improved after meeting her at the Slytherin council meeting and discussing ways of improving Slytherin's reputation – whilst she was hardly the fairest of reporters she was a genius at propaganda, public relations and promoting the viewpoint that was in Slytherin house's best interest. Hermione knew none of this and even after using her last year to publicise Voldemort's return she still hated Skeeter.

* * *

"Harry, has your friendship with the Weasley Family been affected by your status as a Malfoy?" a reporter shouted as Harry passed through the barrier on to Platform 9 ¾, rushing towards the Boy-Who-Lived, quill and parchment in hand, his barely disguised eagerness for a response annoying Harry immensely. 

"Harry, How much do you trust your father?" another reporter asked, following close behind. 

When Lucius had said during the journey to Kings Cross that there would be reporters waiting for him on the platform he had not imagined the scene in front of him. He had thought that there might be a couple waiting for him, especially as they were over half an hour early, but the flock of fifty or sixty vulture-like journalists and photographers took him completely by surprise. Their eager faces as they rushed towards him sickened Harry, whilst the sight of their quills positioned to take down his every word annoyed him immensely. They reminded him of a pack of Colin Creevey's all worshipping his every word and action. There was one thing about the journalists that annoyed him more than their attitude – their use of the name 'Harry'. It angered him immensely, tempting him into ranting at the pack of pushy reporters. He stayed calm though, resorting to vicious glares as he followed Lucius in pushing through gathered crowd, ignoring the rapid-fire questions that were being sent his way. 

"Jason, can you confirm that James Potter is alive?" 

Harry emerged from the throng of quote-hungry journalists, only to be confronted by Mr Lovegood, father of one of Harry's friends. The eccentric Quibbler editor also had quill and parchment and eager anticipation, but it was a friendly eagerness, unlike the viciousness of the reporters working for the more mainstream press. Ultimately though it wasn't this disarming friendliness that made Harry answer the question nor was it the fact that Mr Lovegood had used his name, instead it was the question itself that made him answer it. It gave him the chance to reveal James Potter's deceit and betrayal, an opportunity he relished, especially after noticing that James was standing on the other side of the platform harassing Ron. 

"Yes I can. He's the black-haired Wood Elf over there," Harry replied politely, pointing out the elf in question for his friend's father, who glanced over to see where Harry was pointing before asking another question. Mr Lovegood seemed oblivious to the death glares that were being directed at James' direction by the three other Malfoys. He also seemed oblivious to the questions that were firing at Harry because of his question. 

"Harry, if what you say is true, why did you choose Lucius Malfoy over him?" One reporter, standing behind Harry, asked in a manner that annoyed Harry immensely. It wasn't just the obnoxious, self-righteous manner of the reporter that made Harry want to hex him though, it was the show of blatant anti-Slytherin bias. The reporter seemed to be questioning why anyone could ever trust or like a Slytherin. 

"Jason, What do you think of James Potter?" Mr Lovegood asked in the same eccentric yet eager tone of voice, ignoring Harry's growing frustration. 

"He's an obnoxious, selfish, egotistical bastard who left my mother to die and me to live with a bunch of muggles who hated me. He's no better than Voldemort." Harry replied venomously, taking Mr Lovegood and the other on-lookers by surprise due to the fierceness of his dislike. This didn't stop them flinching on hearing Voldemort's name, a habit that annoyed Harry as much as ever. He half expected the reporters to criticise him for his words and he wasn't disappointed. Mr Lovegood, however, was not among his critics, the eccentric Quibbler editor thanked Harry for his answers and wandered away towards James Potter. 

"James Potter died a hero helping defend you against Voldemort! You should be grateful to him," One reporter cried in a moral outrage that did nothing but goad Harry's already fraying temper. He turned to face the outspoken reporter, who looked indignant with rage, resisting the urge to punch him. The only thing that restrained his anger was Lucius' calming hand on his shoulder acting as a gentle warning not to do something stupid. 

"Haven't you been listening? James Potter did not die like he should have! He should have died saving his family, doing the right thing. He shouldn't have run like that stinking treacherous rat Wormtail," Harry snapped. Despite the restraint he was still furious with the reporter in question and glared furiously at the blond man in question, who refused to back down. 

"You're lying!" No Potter…" the reporter began, his self-righteous anger making him refuse to back down. It was a refusal which turned to be a mistake when the reporter found himself being flung screaming across the platform by an exasperated onlooker, leading to him landing at James' Potter's feet, shocking just about everyone, especially Harry. 

This was soon followed by Narcissa's outraged cry of "Draco!" which identified the particular onlooker who had been cast the spell that had thrown the reporter across the platform. Harry turned to find Draco standing several feet behind him, being berated by Lucius for being impolite and acting without any dignity. It was a sight that cheered up Harry immensely, especially because of the petulant look on Draco's face, which made Harry's half-brother look like a naughty child who had been caught stealing sweets. 

Most people seemed to ignore the sight of Draco being told off and returned to their business after only casually glancing to see where the screams had come from. Unfortunately the business of the reporters seemed to be harassing Harry and asking stupid and biased questions about James and Lucius. Consequently, Harry simply ignored the reporters and boarded the train, entering the first empty carriage he came across. He knew that doing so was the only way he was going to keep his cool and avoid yelling at another reporter. After all the hassle outside he was grateful for the peace and quiet. Unfortunately, it wasn't to last. 

A knock on the already opened compartment door, alerted Harry to the fact that Rita Skeeter had intruded into his privacy. He had been surprised not to see her among the crowd of journalists outside, but now knew why she hadn't been there – she'd been waiting to get him alone. "I was hoping you could answer a few questions about Lucius and the Slytherins in general as well as conducting the interview you promised me," Rita asked in the pleasant yet arrogant tone of someone who was making an offer that he or she knew wouldn't be refused. "It would give you the opportunity to respond to your critics and start the redeem Slytherin campaign." Harry accepted willingly as he had promised to give Rita an interview at the Slytherin council meeting as part of the campaign to redeem Slytherin's image. At the time Rita Skeeter hadn't known that he was the boy-who-lived, but her discovery of his more famous reputation changed nothing. If anything it made the reporter more eager to conduct the interview, as he was no longer just a random Gryffindor, instead he was Harry Potter, hero of the wizarding world, someone who people might actually listen to. 

The interview lasted twenty-five minutes, which the beetle animagus seemed to regard as far too short a time. On the other hand she had no choice, as it left barely left Rita Skeeter with enough time to get off the train before it departed Kings Cross. Despite this, the interview went reasonably well and as far as Harry was concerned he said everything that he wanted to and a lot more besides and more importantly, Rita and her quick quotes scroll seemed to be presenting him a favourable light. However, he knew that he had to wait until it was actually published that Sunday before judging the fairness of the interview he had just done. 

Ginny, Neville and Luna entered the carriage just as the train pulled out of the station, carrying their luggage with them. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen, presumably because they had made their way directly to the prefect carriage for the first prefect meeting of the year. "What were you doing talking to Rita Skeeter?" Ginny asked sounding as though she was shocked that Harry was speaking to the press. However, Harry could detect no hostility or anger in Ginny's words. 

"The prophet is trying to restore my reputation, because they want my backing for a campaign they're running," Harry answered amiable not giving any details. He was surprised that Neville and the two girls, particularly Ginny, were treating him as if nothing had changed over the summer. The last time they'd met Ginny had been very suspicious of him and Ron had said nothing of his sister's attitude towards him. Indeed, the elfin boy had been very quiet on the whole issue, except to say that he and Mrs Weasley had explained his connection to the Malfoy Family to all of Harry's friends and that everything was 'fine' as a consequence. Hermione had written to him apologising for unwittingly offending him and saying that their friendship had not changed, however, he had not heard a word about anybody else and had worried as a consequence, but seeing these three acting so normally had partially eased his fears. 

"What campaign is this and why do they want you're backing for it? They normally can't resist criticising you. Surely this is a perfect opportunity, just like last year," Ginny asked taking a seat next to Luna on the opposite side of the carriage to Harry. Neville sat next to Harry directly opposite her. 

"Last year I wasn't a Malfoy," Harry replied firmly, noting with disappointment the uncomfortable expression on Ginny's face that followed his declaration. "To both the owner of the Daily Prophet and to Fudge I was an enemy, but now I'm the son of one of their friends, one who've spent a lot of time defending. Montague would never allow the prophet to attack me, even if the editor wanted to and not just because it would annoy Lucius. 

Not surprisingly, both Ginny and Neville instantly recognised the surname of the Daily Prophet owner and linked it with Uther Montague, who had been in the twins' year and had a well-deserved reputation as among the worst of the Slytherins. Harry was not the least bit surprised and was only marginally annoyed that Ginny automatically assumed both father and son were death eaters, it had been the truth and it was a reasonable assumption to make unless you knew better, like Harry, who was among the few to know of the defection of the majority of the death eaters, news which wouldn't be announced until that afternoon. "You're telling me that the Daily Prophet is owned by a death eater and that this death eater wants to defend you! Don't you find this a bit suspicious?" Ginny exclaimed, sounding worried, before Luna or Neville could raise their own concerns. 

"Montague's no longer a death eater. He and quite a few others changed sides with Lucius." Harry replied as calmly as before. It was a calmness that was soon broken by Ginny's scepticism. 

"Even so, why would he want to defend you?" the redhead responded doubtfully, clinging to her previous argument, irritating Harry in the process. However, he let Neville speak his thoughts, rather than respond himself, as unlike Luna, Harry's dorm mate still desperately wanted to say something. 

"Slytherin's always stick together, everyone knows that. We shouldn't be that surprised if Montague sticks up for all the Malfoy's, Jason included, as Malfoy wouldn't tolerate attacks on his family anymore than we would." Neville said confidently, sounding as though it were the most logical thing in the world. Of course, to Harry it was an extremely logical statement because loyalty to one's own was one of the cornerstones of the Slytherin mentality, Ginny, however, seemed unable to grasp this. 

"But Jason's not a Slytherin, why would they stick up for him?" Ginny queried. It wasn't just the redhead's reference to Harry in the third person that caused the blond Gryffindor to sigh in frustration. 

"Lucius and I are family and we act like it. As far as the Slytherins are concerned that is enough for them to treat me as one of their own. To them insulting me is like insulting my entire family, even if Lucius and I do have our differences." Harry replied testily, intellectually he knew that Ginny knew nothing about the Slytherin mentality and that he shouldn't be angry at her scepticism. However, her repetition of virtually the same question annoyed him immensely, which meant that his temper refused to subside, even if he wanted it to. 

"But they're Slytherins! How do you know that you can trust them? Ginny replied raising her voice a little in response to Harry's obvious irritation. Everyone in the carriage knew that the argument was developing into a overly heated shouting match, but none seemed to want to do anything about it, even Neville who did not want the wrath of either Harry or Ginny to be redirected onto him. Of course the anger previously displayed by Harry was nothing compared to his reaction to Ginny's latest argument. If there was one thing that was guaranteed to rile his temper it was displays of anti-Slytherin prejudice as Ginny's words. 

"What the hell does that mean?" Harry cried venomously, leaping to his feet in righteous fury. "What is it about Slytherins that means I shouldn't trust my own father? Their absolute loyalties to their own families? The fact that Lucius had plenty of opportunities to betray me to Voldemort but didn't? The promise Lucius made to my mother to protect me, one that his honour would never allow him to break? Stop being such a prejudiced bitch and open your eyes to the truth." 

"But he's a death eater, they are all." Ginny asserted in reply, sounding once again as if it were an indisputable truth, her increased anger matching Harry's temper. She, like Harry leapt to her feet in a vain attempt to meet Harry eye to eye. The Malfoy was several inches taller. 

"How many times do I have to tell you Ginny? He changed sides during the summer, as did all the other Slytherins. The ones that did not were branded traitors," Harry snapped viciously in response. His exasperation at her repetition of the same prejudice expressed through intense anger. 

"So you say, but how do you know they're telling the truth? They're Slytherins, they could be deceiving you." Ginny responded, her genuine concern lost amidst the anger that had arisen in response to Harry's own anger. 

"I know because I've seem the actions that back up their words. I trust them because I've seen them directly oppose Voldemort. I was there when they declared the death eaters to be traitors. I was there when Draco and Marcus Flint helped Lucius escape Voldemort's dungeons. I even saw Lucius attack Voldemort, through my scar." Harry retorted, his temper fraying even more in response to the request for proof. It was proof that Ginny had clearly not been expecting, for she had look of immense shock on her face. It was reaction that Harry found both deeply satisfying and intensely annoying, although the annoyance subsided along with his temper when Ginny sat down without a response. It seemed that Harry had won the argument, although he doubted whether Ginny's opinions had been changed by it. 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

In case you've forgotten Harry is 'Jason' and 'Leo' whilst Ron is 'Caranthir'. 

I also wish to littlehobbit85 and others who have forgotten that Harry's appearance changed at the very beginning of this story so that he looks like a Malfoy. I know he looks like a Potter in cannon, but that is merely a disguise placed on him by Lilly, Lucius and James, which Snape removed using a potion in the first chapter. I know that I've never mentioned this disguise, I assumed that most people had read enough Severitus challenge fics to guess that this is the case. If you think I'm making any other assumptions like this tell me, sometimes I do it deliberately, but generally I don't even realise I'm doing it. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 21, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review.


	24. Repetition

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains major spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 10th August 2004 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 23: REPETITION 

Hermione and Ron returned from the prefect meeting about an hour and a half into the journey, accompanied by Draco and the rest of the Slytherins in Harry's year, except for Theodore Nott, who was considered to be a Slytherin in name only. Harry knew why the Slytherins accompanied his friends, as did Ron, from the looks of things. However, Harry's other friends looked distinctly confused when Draco and Zabini followed Ron and Hermione into the compartment, whilst the rest stood outside on guard duty. Neither Slytherin sat down. 

"Do you trust them?" Zabini asked sternly, gazing around the compartment as if to assess Harry's friends. His gaze lingered on Ginny for a few seconds longer than on anybody else. 

"They're my friends. This summer has not affected that whatever Ginny thinks about you," Harry replied firmly, standing up to receive what the two Slytherins were about to give him. Again Zabini's scrutinising gaze fell upon Ginny, who made no reaction to it. 

"You must not tell mention what is about to happen here to anyone, until Jason says that you can, not even to another person in this compartment. Jason's safety depends on your silence." Zabini said sternly, not shifting his gaze from Ginny. The redhead looked to Harry for guidance. 

"Go on," he said with deadly seriousness, conveying the importance of both the forthcoming event and the promise she was being asked to make. After Harry's prompting Ginny did not hesitate to agree to the Slytherin's demands. 

"OK then," she said calmly, feeling a little put out that the Slytherin had singled her out. 

Her feelings were eased though, when Zabini calmly nodded and then shifted his attention to Luna, who despite giving the impression of being lost in her own little world agreed to the same request without the need for it to be repeated. Neville and Hermione followed suit the moment that the elf's serious gaze fell upon them, until he surprised all of Harry's friends by turning to Draco. Neither Harry nor Draco were particularly surprised that Zabini wanted his housemate to give his word, even if some of those present didn't trust him simply because they knew that Zabini didn't want to take too many chances. 

"I have given you my word twice already, as has Leo," Draco stated simply, in the same solemn tone that Zabini had used. Once again, the response was made without the question being asked. 

"As have I," Ron continued when the stern, searching gaze fell upon him. He was the last person to be asked, as it seemed that Zabini was willing to let Draco speak for his brother. But then, it may have been the fact that Harry seemed to at the centre of what was going on that meant that Zabini felt no need to ask him to keep quiet about the meeting. Instead the elf stepped forward without a word and fiddled with his belt, unhooking an invisible object from it and handing it to Harry, who appeared to attach it his waist. Given that it was invisible none of Harry's friends, except for Ron who had been told by Zabini, had any clue of what the object was. Despite the rather ceremonious way Zabini extracted promises of silence, the hand-over of the mysterious object handed without any sort of formality. He simply gave it to Harry and them left the compartment, without even saying a word. Draco followed, as did the other Slytherins who had been standing outside. They left all of Harry's friends bar Ron utterly confused. Despite this confusion nothing was said because of the promise they had made. Instead, the conversation between the friends was about Ron's new elfin appearance until it inevitably turned back to Harry's rather eventful summer. Not that they had time to say much, because about ten minutes after the gang of Slytherins had left, the compartment door was thrown open in dramatic style by three less welcome Slytherins. 

Harry's immediate reaction upon seeing Theodore Nott, Silvanus Melchitt and Andrew Jackson was to stand up and reach for his wand. His friends followed suit. Having six wands shoved in their face seemed to faze the three boys slightly, but it didn't stop Nott from speaking. 

"Haven't you stopped pretending to be a Malfoy yet Potter?" Nott sneered hatefully, his floppy hair failing to cover eyes filled with immense hatred. In many ways they reminded Harry of Voldemort's eyes, the colour was different but the same evil was plainly visible. 

"There is only one pretence around here Nott and that is your pitiful attempts at impersonating a Slytherin," Harry replied darkly. Compared to Nott Harry's attempt at a hateful tone come out only as mild righteous anger. 

The three intruders tensed at Harry's remark, their hate filled faces becoming darker and angrier. Unable to say anything constructive in reply, Nott made to curse Harry, but Jackson, his seventh year companion, stopped him by stepping forward and rolling back the left sleeve of his robes to reveal the dark mark burned ominously into his flesh. It was a far from pleasant sight. "Do not let Malfoy fool you, Potter. This is the mark of a true Slytherin," Jackson said vocalising his wild-eyed fanaticism and indicating to the dark mark, "All those that disobey the dark lord and refuse his mark are traitors to Slytherin and to all wizard-kind. You can try and corrupt our brethren all you want, Potter, but they will soon learn that the dark lord is their rightful lord and master. Soon they will learn and you will die at the feet of your rightful master, begging for mercy." The seventh year's fanaticism and complete conviction in the truthfulness of his terrible views was as disturbing as it was repulsive. Harry found it quite pathetic too, in the same way he found Wormtail's cowardliness pathetic, even if in both cases such feelings were drowned out by the anger he felt towards both men. Whilst, Jackson had been trying to scare and intimidate Harry, he had the entirely different effect of goading the Gryffindor's volatile temper. Harry's immediate reaction to Jackson's comments was to laugh bitterly at the sheer idiocy of the comments, the anger that overcome his following words was nonetheless clearly evident in his humour. He wasn't the only one to find Jackson's fanaticism funny in a twisted sort of way, he recognised the malicious snigger of Draco, although his brother was nowhere to be seen. 

"Voldemort is nothing but a psychopathic megalomaniac and you are his slave. Even I am more of a Slytherin than you or him can ever hope to be." Harry replied irately, choosing to respond to Jackson's comment about Slytherin rather his rabid prediction of Harry's fate, knowing it would annoy all three death eaters immensely. 

It worked like a treat, as Jackson's rage blossomed into his face as a rather alarming shade of purple and a trembling fury. It was a posture and expression that reminded Harry of Uncle Vernon at his angriest, not that Andrew Jackson looked anything like Vernon Dursley. None of this disturbed Harry, but the source of Jackson's anger did – it seemed that he objected to Harry using Voldemort's name. 

"How dare you befoul the sanctity of the dark lord's name, Gryffindor! You have no right to speak it you are not his equal," Jackson shouted maniacally, his wand now pointed at Harry. It was obvious that he was about to curse Harry, something the other two death eaters had been on the verge of doing for several minutes. Fortunately, Harry, Draco and their friends were quicker to the draw. 

A few seconds of absolute chaos ensued as curses and hexes flew towards the three servants of Voldemort leaving the familiar sight of three Slytherins lying on the carriage floor covered in the effects of various curses. Of course, this time Nott, Melchitt and Jackson were the victims rather than Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and the three antagonisers were far worse off this time, as well. Both Nott and Melchitt looked as though they had been the victims of some very nasty and extremely painful curses, although they appeared to be unconscious, Jackson on the other hand appeared to have borne the brunt of the assault and looked in an extremely serious condition. 

"Is he dead?" A fourth year Slytherin said, asking the question that was on everybody's lips. His voice and his expression showed an intense sadness that was in marked contrast to the angry and determined scowls on the faces of his housemates who had gathered around the unconscious death eaters. He had good reason to be sad though, as he was the younger brother of Andrew Jackson. 

A seventh year knelt down to examine Jackson and check his pulse, "We haven't killed him, although some of his injuries are permanent. Not that that means anything given his current life expectancy," the seventh year replied, standing up and taking his place in the circle that surrounded the three unconscious Slytherins. 

The news that Jackson was alive did not alter the expression on the fourth years face, although Harry noticed Ron's face lightened slightly, presumably because the elfin boy did not want to be responsible for Jackson's death, irrespective of the Slytherin's loyalties or tenuous mental stability. 

"Is it possible for me to have a few words with him," the fourth year asked seriously, stepping forward to take the seventh year's place beside the unconscious body of Andrew Jackson. 

"Enervate should keep him awake for a couple of minutes. Only cast it on him once though, if he stays conscious too long he'll die," the seventh year answered even as his housemate took his place at the side of the death eater. 

"Enervate." 

It took a couple of seconds longer than usual for the spell to work, but Andrew Jackson stirred with a soft groan, causing the Slytherins in the circle to glare harder at Jackson than they had been doing. Harry doubted that Jackson noticed because the moment his eyes snapped open the death eater focused on the boy who was kneeling at his side, who appeared to be an unwelcome sight judging from the hateful look in his eyes. 

"You… Traitor… Shame on my blood," Jackson croaked with the most hatred that he could muster, which wasn't that much given his weakened state. Despite his evident lack of strength, which caused him to hesitate between words and not speak in full sentences, he still got his meaning across. His fanatical support of Voldemort meant that he hated his own brother. The look of horror and heartbreak on the fourth year's face was noticed by all, especially Jackson, who gave a vicious, if weak, grin at the pain that he had caused. It was look that seemed to energise Jackson, his evil delight feeding off the pain he had caused to his master's enemies. He made no attempt to move but the renewed vigour in his eyes was unmistakable as was the meaning of his next words which were spoken without the hesitation and semi-incoherence of his opening words to his brother. 

"Avarda Kedarva," he voiced hatefully. 

Every single onlooker was caught everyone completely by surprise, they had not expected Jackson to attempt to harm anyone in his weakened state, especially not with the killing curse, but then they hadn't even noticed that Jackson had crashed to the ground with his wand pointing at exactly the same spot that the fourth year now occupied. Judging by his gleeful expression, Jackson on the other hand was well aware of this and knew exactly what he was doing, leaving over twenty five Hogwarts frozen in horror and fear as they watched the beam of horrible green light leave Jackson's wand and hit the leg of one of their classmates. Several screamed, whilst others closed their eyes as they watched the unmoving Danny Jackson, the fourth year brother of the spell caster look on in pure terror as he awaited his impending doom. It never came. At the last moment, Danny felt himself being barged out of the way by a blur of black robes. He turned to see the growing beam of green light hit the left knee of a fellow student and bounce back onto the chest of his gleeful looking brother. He didn't even hear the panicked cries of the boy's friends, who watched in a horrified trance as their best friend took the killing curse on behalf of the Slytherin. For a few terrifying moments Danny felt intense guilt sweep through him as he saw the other boy take the killing curse on his behalf. Then he saw the face of his saviour and the guilt was swept away. He had been saved by Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, a boy that no killing curse could harm, a boy that no dark wizard could kill and above all a boy that was clearly alive and in immense agony. 

Harry had acted on pure instinct, he moved the moment Jackson spoke the first syllable of the dreadful curse that had killed his parents, knowing that the Slytherin would be too afraid to act on his own. He hadn't intended to take the curse himself, because he hadn't been sure whether he would survive it, whether his blood protection, if it was still active, would shield him. As it was he'd got lucky, Aunt Petunia's death had not destroyed the protection offered by his mother's sacrifice, although he suspected the week spent living with Maria, who had been his mother's cousin as well as his father's sister-in-law, may have helped. He didn't dwell on the causes behind his miraculous survival of the killing curse though, there were more important things to be thinking about, like the crippling pain in his left knee. He suspected the cause of the pain was a lightening shaped curse scar, as was revealed to be the case, when he pulled up his robes and rolled up his trousers to examine the cause of his agony. 

Hermione insisted on examining the wound too, despite some half-hearted protests from Harry. She fussed over him in a way he associated more with Molly Weasley than his best friend, ignoring Ron when he intervened and told her to lay off. The rest of Harry's friends rushed over too, clearly in shock. Neville and Luna just stood there, whilst Ginny began lecturing Harry on how stupid he had been, in the moments Hermione wasn't fussing over him like a mother hen. He ignored both of them as much as he could, much to Hermione's disapproval and took to looking at the scene around him as he lay on the ground unable to get up. He noticed that the Slytherins had closed around a shocked Danny Jackson, attempting to console their housemate in a show of solidarity that made Harry smile, not that he could hear what they were saying. Although he couldn't see Draco among the huddle of Slytherins, or anywhere else around for reasons that soon came clear when he returned not long after Harry had noticed his absence– he'd gone to get help, something neither Hermione nor Ginny mentioned. He hadn't notice the train stop moving to let them on, but Draco returned with Madam Pomfrey as well as Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape. Whilst Snape walked over to Danny Jackson after taking a passing glance at the dead body of Andrew Jackson and Harry's wound Draco, Pomfrey and the other two Professors immediately went over to Harry. The mediwitch began by chasing away Harry's fussing friends amidst much protest and the crowd that had gathered around him, much to his relief, before conjuring up a stretcher and asking Draco and Ron to carry him into his compartment, neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall followed, presumably because they would only be chased out by a rather annoyed mediwitch. She attempted to chase out Draco and Ron too, but both boys stayed resolute. 

"We're his family," Draco replied crossly in precisely the same tone that he had been spoken too, when asked to leave, "In case you hadn't noticed I'm his half brother and he is the son of James Potter." Despite his obvious shock at the fact that Draco was standing up for him, Ron nodded in agreement. His surprise deepened when Pomfrey reluctantly backed down. 

"Very well but if you get in the way you're out of here," she said irately. Both boys had no choice but to agree to her demands, not that they intended to get in the way anyway. As a con sequence they took seats on the opposite the row of seats that served as a makeshift bed. After conjuring a curtain to cover the compartment door, Madam Pomfrey set to work cleansing Harry's wound of dark magic. 

She set about casting a complicated web of spells on Harry's wounded knee, which at first succeeded only in increasing the pain coming from the wound to levels that made the cruciatus curse appear positively pleasant. He barely succeeded in preventing himself from screaming in agony. The pain subsided substantially, however, when she began to chant another spell repeatedly, while drawing the residue of the killing curse from Harry's body into a small ball of sickly green light attached to the end of the mediwitch's wand. After a couple of minutes of drawing out the residue of the killing curse, Madam Pomfrey stopped the spell and called Draco over. 

"Seeing as you're here, make yourself useful and absorb the residue of the curse. It should be safe, the fatal element of the curse was reflected back onto Mr Jackson," She commanded, explaining why she wanted Draco's assistance. 

Draco hung back nervously, not fully trusting the mediwitch's assurances. "Who absorbed the residue last time?" he asked. 

"Alastor Moody, who is alive and suffered no harmful reaction to the residue," Pomfrey responded less than happily, not taking Draco's reluctance particularly well. With that news Draco moved forward and placed his wand tip to tip with Pomfrey's, who then moved her wand away leaving the ball of dark magic attached to the tip of his wand. With a muttered spell it disappeared completely. 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

In case you've forgotten Harry is 'Jason' and 'Leo' whilst Ron is 'Caranthir'. 

Zeldarose: Harry's comment in chapter 4 is explained a couple of paragraphs further on - he is referring to Lucas' Narcissistic tendencies. As for Lucas' relation to Harry they are both cousins (through their fathers) and second cousins (through their mothers) in Chapter 4 neither boy is aware of the former relationship. In Chapter 11, Harry disappointing Potions result is expected, so doesn't affect him that much and is countered by results that are otherwise good, besides I suspect he's relived simply and slightly surprised to have passed Potions. Finally the prophecy merely specifies that Harry's parents defy Voldemort three times, it does not specify how or that Harry's parents must always defy Voldemort. I haven't worked out the how, but they all involve protecting people Lucius cares about by openly standing up to Voldemort, who responds with a heavy punishment. 

Uten: I haven't changed my mind - there will be no pairings. It will take several generations of Hogwarts stundents to fix the rift fully. In this story I am limiting myself to (a) fufilling the sorting hat's warning and uniting the houses against Voldemort and (b) changing the attitudes of the people around Harry. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 21, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review.


	25. Recovery

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains major spoilers for book 5. You have been warned. 

Posted 17th September 2004 

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

CHAPTER 24: RECOVERY 

Harry, Ron and Draco were left alone for the remainder of the trip to Hogwarts, presumably on the orders of Madam Pomfrey. Not that Draco stayed with the two Gryffindors throughout the trip, choosing to spend long periods with his housemates before popping back to see how Harry was faring as well pass on any news and rumours that had arisen as a result of Harry's second survival of the killing curse or his status as a Malfoy. It seemed that the former had had little effect on the negative reaction that had apparently been generated by the later. One rumour floating around, started by a student with an immense grudge against the Malfoys, claimed that Harry's heroism was a set-up to win back the support for him that had followed the public revelation of Voldemort's return and to disguise his betrayal of the light side. It was a rumour that Draco had simply laughed off, but to Harry the accusation of being a dark wizard was infuriating, in an all too familiar way. 

Once the train had arrived Harry was taken to the hospital wing for a more thorough examination than had been conducted on the Hogwarts Express. This resulted in a salve being applied to his scarred knee, on the spot where the curse had hit him, and a potion being forced down his throat to 'restore his magical balance.' An explanation of what this rather alarming statement meant or how his magic was imbalanced was not given, although Harry suspected it had something to do with the magic he had absorbed from the curse. He'd already seen the curse residue itself being removed, but he suspected he'd absorbed some of Jackson's power, in the same way that Voldemort had transferred some of his power to him as a baby. 

Harry's more immediate concern, however, was the fact that he was missing the welcome feast. Madam Pomfrey had explicitly forbidden him from attending, but had had some of the food from the feast sent up after she had finished examining him. He wasn't the only one to miss the feast either, Nott and Melchitt, the two death eaters that had been with Jackson, were being treated for the after effects of the spell damage they had received after being hexed and cursed by Harry, Draco and their friends. Unusually for such cases they were being treated in full view of the rest of the ward rather than behind a curtain, presumably for the benefit of the two other students that were missing the feast. These two were not patients, but a pair of imposing looking seventh-years who seemed to be watching over the two traitors to their house, preventing them from doing any harm to anyone. Not that either death eater was in any position to do anything in their current state. Madam Pomfrey ignored the two guards completely, acting as if she hadn't noticed them. Harry didn't speak to them either and judging from the expressions of the two Slytherins any such interruption would be most unwelcome as Professor Dumbledore found out when he entered the hospital wing to visit Harry once the feast had finished. The headmaster's cordial greeting was completely ignored by the two Slytherins. 

Harry knew why Dumbledore was visiting even without being told. He had expected the headmaster's presence because, unlike Ron and Draco, he had not yet been asked to describe his version of the incident on the Hogwarts Express. On the other hand, he had not expected the pleasantries that preceded the interrogation as Dumbledore normally dispensed with such trivialities. 

"Ah, Harry," How was your summer?" the headmaster asked, his eyes twinkling madly. 

"Eventful," Harry replied, sitting up in his hospital bed. His answer was curt, evidence of his dislike of such small talk. 

A ghost of a smile crossed the headmaster's face upon hearing the reply, for reasons that Harry could not comprehend. He suspected it was caused by the tone of the voice in which he had responded. 

"And you friends? How was their summers?" the headmaster continued, ignoring the show of hostility. It wasn't until long after the conversation had ended that Harry realised Dumbledore's ulterior motive for asking the question – he wanted to know Harry's opinions of his friends without directly asking Harry for his opinions. As it was the old man couldn't have gleamed that much from Harry's short reply. 

"They enjoyed their summers, even Ron, who had similar problems to me," Harry answered, not offering a further explanation because he thought such news was none of Dumbledore's concern. 

"Good, good," Dumbledore replied absently, a warm grandfatherly smile accompanying the apparent lack of attention. That this was merely a deceit covering a deep interest was exposed in the way the headmaster suddenly switched from bored disinterest to keen intent within a second. His attention snapped back to Harry as he asked the next question, "Have the press been causing you any problems?" It was clear from the way that the question was asked that he already knew about the crowd of reporters that had awaited Harry on Platform 9¾. 

"There were about fifty reporters waiting for me at King's Cross, but I was expecting them anyway and dealt with them easily enough. About from that I haven't had any problems since the Triwizard Tournament." Harry responded honestly, giving a lengthy reply on an issue that Dumbledore had right to know about. It wasn't his intention to sound as though he was trying to put a brave face on a serious problem, but that's how it came out, causing Harry to cringe internally. He had enough problems without accidentally persuading Dumbledore that a minor irritant such as the attention brought upon him by his celebrity status was a significant problem too. 

"Was there a particular reporter or group of reporters who caused more problems that the rest?" the headmaster asked with evident concern, taking Harry's statement exactly as the Gryffindor had feared. Dumbledore's rapt attention and piercing glare made Harry feel as though he was being interrogated. 

Harry suspected that Dumbledore had a particular reporter in mind when he asked the question and answered accordingly. "No, Lucius asked Rita Skeeter to be my press secretary. An interview for the Sunday Prophet was part of the deal. She'll probably owl me for my side of the story when she hears of what happened on the train. As for the rest, they were more annoying than anything else." 

He had been extremely uncertain of how the headmaster was going to respond to the news of his deal with Rita Skeeter and was consequently pleased to see a positive reaction. From the marked increase in the twinkle in the old man's eyes and the warm smile that he offered it appeared that Harry's reply met with approval. "An excellent idea," Dumbledore said happily, "Although I would appreciate it if you could tell me what happened first. There are few inconsistencies which I believe you are best placed to resolve." 

The retelling of the entire incident didn't take long, even though Harry described the confrontation that preceded it as well as the incident itself. Not that a long explanation was needed, because the whole episode had taken no more than several minutes. Harry managed to keep emotion out of his expression as he reported what he had seen and done in the seconds that had led up to his second survival of the killing curse. Dumbledore, on the other hand, was expressive as ever. The headmaster's twinkling eyes momentarily betrayed his true emotions at various points during the story. A fleeting look of delight would flash across Dumbledore's face every time Harry recounted a moment when Draco and his Slytherin friends stood up to Jackson and his death eater cronies, culminating in the brief look of triumph that accompanied Harry's description of the vicious hexing the three traitors received at the hands of the Slytherin sixth years. Harry guessed it was the first time that Albus Dumbledore wanted to hear of someone using the dark arts, because true Slytherins only used such powerful and deadly curses against their enemies, never against friends or allies. Consequently, in cursing the three death eaters Draco had proved their loyalty to the light side. 

"It is disappointing that among your friends, only yourself and Mr Weasley noticed the assistance of the Slytherins in your dispute with Misters Nott, Melchitt and Jackson," Dumbledore commented once Harry had finished his story. It sounded like an idle comment, but Harry knew better. 

"They're too blinded by their prejudices to notice. In fact, I'm surprised that Ron even noticed," Harry responded bitterly, briefly annoyed by his friend's blindness to the truth. 

"Mr Weasley expressed mild surprise at how much assistance you received from Slytherin House. He seemed to be under the impression that only a small minority would consider helping you," Dumbledore replied, in the same idle tone. It was the sort of expression which gave the impression that the headmaster knew everything, a state of affairs Harry knew clearly not to be the case. 

"That's a start," Harry remarked with pleasant surprise, "If Zabini can change Ron's attitude that much in a week there's hope for him and everyone else yet. All we need to do is make everyone give the Slytherin's a chance." As positive as he sounded, Harry knew that in reality actually persuading everyone to give the Slytherins the benefit of the doubt would be next to impossible. After all, unlike Ron, most people would not be willing to take Harry's word for it as the previous year had shown. What the Ron example had shown though was that significant improvements in inter-house relations could be made if people actually wanted such improvements. Harry didn't mind that much that Ron hadn't completely overcome his prejudices because Ron's expressed belief that only a minority of Slytherins could be trusted had been accurate at the start of the summer. Besides Ron didn't have the same guarantees of friendship with Slytherin house that Harry possessed simply by virtue of being the son of Lucius Malfoy. 

"Having the support of both the Daily Prophet and the Minster should help you up to a point," Dumbledore replied, knowing and sharing Harry's concern, "I shall give you my public backing too, but I fear my influence is limited these days." He didn't look saddened by this state of affairs, in fact his expression remained unchanged and his twinkling eyes undimmed as he acknowledged the limitations of his support. 

Harry didn't respond to the headmaster's concern, if only because he knew it to be broadly true, even after the ministry's belated admittance of Voldemort's return. However, he also knew that those people who were influenced by Dumbledore, tended to trust the headmaster implicitly. He knew that without Dumbledore's backing there would be no chance of persuading a large minority of people of the trustworthiness of the Slytherins, including almost all of the DA. Of course, his pride meant that he was never going to admit this to anyone. Instead, he offered a polite thank you and turned his attention to another issue that had been bothering him, "Why is my magic out of balance?" he asked curiously. 

He didn't expect a straight reply, not after the evasive answers that the headmaster that had served as responses to Harry's previous questions over the years. Therefore, he was caught by surprise when Dumbledore smiled one of his all-knowing grins and answered the question. 

"It appears that Mr Jackson transferred some of his powers to you, Harry, much like Voldemort did fifteen years ago. Your body is merely taking the time it needs to ingrate this new power with your magic," Dumbledore responded calmly, confirming a suspicion that Harry had previously held. Nonetheless, having his suspicions confirmed came as a shock. Not that he was particularly distressed to learn that he had absorbed a portion of the death eater's powers, after all, nothing could be worse than the link with Voldemort that had resulted as a consequence of his previous survival of the killing curse.

* * *

Dumbledore wasn't Harry's only visitor that night. About an hour after the headmaster's departure from the hospital wing, Crabbe and Goyle entered the ward to relieve the two seventh years of guard duty. Harry was not surprised to see Draco accompany them, on the other hand he had not expected Danny Jackson, the boy he had saved, to be with them too. 

The fourth year looked extremely nervous as he approached Harry, despite his subtle attempts to cover this with a mask of Slytherin arrogance and aristocratic pride. It was also clear that he didn't want to be there. 

"I want to thank you for saving my life. I owe you a life debt," Danny said formally and with gratitude. Despite his nervous appearance, he was successful in keeping his obvious nerves out of his voice. 

Harry smiled in response, "I couldn't have stood there and let the curse hit you," he said softly. There was also a hard edge to Harry as he spoke these words, caused by the horrific memories of helplessly watching Sirius and Cedric die in front of him in previous years. It was an experience would do anything to avoid repeating, "so, I did the only thing I could…." 

"…You took the curse for him, like a brave heroic Gryffindor, who couldn't resist an opportunity to put himself in grave danger," Draco commented dryly, causing Danny to smile and Harry to smile faintly despite being interrupted. Without the veneer or arrogance and hatred Harry found his half-brother reasonably funny, even if he was normally the butt of the joke. 

"I didn't intend to get hit by the curse, Draco," Harry protested good-humouredly whilst responding to the point behind the sarcastic delivery "I was simply trying to push him out of the way. If I had intended to take it I would have made sure it hit somewhere in a better place than my left knee!" 

"You would have preferred it to have hit Malcolm Baddock then?" Draco queried with a sly grin that his question was intended purely to wind up Harry. The Gryffindor was well aware of this, but couldn't help but react with complete horror. 

"What? Of course not," cried a shocked and wide-eyed Harry, before realising what exactly Draco meant. The shock dissipated as Harry figured out what Draco meant, his horror did not, "I didn't think of the people standing behind Danny. I just reacted, it was instinct," Harry responded with a momentary shudder of guilt. Mentally he berated himself over the fact that his intended reaction to Andrew Jackson's killing curse would have killed the boy who had been standing directly behind Danny. When pushing Danny out of the curse's path he had considered only himself and the intended target as Draco appeared to have guessed. 

"Of course you didn't think, you're a Gryffindor," Draco taunted his sly grin turning into a mocking smirk. Harry merely rolled his eyes at the Slytherin's repetition of an old stereotype, which nonetheless managed to generate a few giggles from Danny as well as Crabbe and Goyle. 

"It's lucky I didn't otherwise I wouldn't have had time to react and the curse wouldn't have hit me," Harry retorted. It felt odd to be thinking that it was lucky to be hit by an unforgivable, but in this instance it was the truth. Harry suspected from the momentarily lack of response that the Slytherin's who were with him found it odd too, although he suspected that they found his insinuation that it was lucky he acted like a stereotypical Gryffindor even stranger. He never found out if this was the case though, for a previously unnoticed figure responded with something else that had occurred to Harry. 

"And it's even luckier that you are still protected from the killing curse," Snape said with the same snide tone he always used to address Harry. The Gryffindor glanced towards and spotted the Potions Professor standing there with Lucius Malfoy. He had not seen either man enter. 

"Indeed," Lucius agreed, after shooting Snape a quick glance to show his disapproval of his companion's attitude towards Harry, "I had wondered whether your blood protections would survive the death of Petunia Dursley." It was a comment that made Harry want to ask his father how he knew so much about the protection Harry gained from his mother's sacrifice. 

"I had too," Harry responded, "but Dumbledore said that as long as there is a blood relative of my mother alive the protections will hold." He had asked Dumbledore about the reasons why he had survived the killing curse for the second time before the headmaster had departed the hospital wing. The old man had smiled in a grandfatherly when asked and given the answer that Harry had just repeated for his father's benefit. 

Lucius considered Harry's answer for a moment, before responding with a hypothesis, "If that's the case, then if Maria were to live with is next summer the protections would hold for another year," he replied, it wasn't voiced like a question but Harry knew an answer was expected. 

"You'd have to ask Dumbledore. I only know what he's told me," Harry answered. It was not a response that pleased Lucius in the slightest, because the last thing Lucius wanted to do was speak with a man that he hated almost as much as he hated Voldemort. 

**

Love It? Hate it? Got Suggestions on how to improve it? Review Now! 

**

In case you've forgotten Harry is 'Jason' and 'Leo' whilst Ron is 'Caranthir'. 

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 23, your reviews were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review.


	26. Petrified

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains major spoilers for book 5. You have been warned.

Posted 14th January 2005  
Revised 24th May 2005

** SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER **

**CHAPTER 25: PETRIFIED **

Harry was released from the hospital wing early the next morning. He made his way back to Gryffindor Tower to shower and change, before meeting up with his concerned friends in the common room. He'd seen them the night before but they still fussed over him as they made their way to breakfast. Eventually the topic of conversation changed from Harry's condition to the events of that summer, with Hermione asking various questions without actually giving any indication of what she thought of Harry's words and opinions of the Malfoy family. He knew she supported him but what she thought of the Malfoys and whether she believed their change of sides was sincere was unclear. Their conversation was interrupted, however, when they arrived at the entrance hall just moments before Draco only to find a confrontation brewing between a third year Slytherin and a muggle born Gryffindor. Such confrontations were commonplace and generally attracted a crowd of onlookers. This confrontation was no different until Draco intervened.

"Baddock!" Draco yelled authoritatively, pushing his way through the crowd of onlookers, "What do you think you're doing?"

The third year question turned to face Draco as he approached, seeming to meet his housemate's withering glare of ire with staunch defiance. Harry noticed, however, that the younger Slytherin refused to look Draco directly in the eye. His proud boasting sounded genuine though and did not impress Draco in the slightest, "I was just reminding the mudblood of his rightful place."

"What did Professor Snape say last night?" Draco responded scathingly, standing just inches away from Baddock and looking him directly in the eye so as to intimidate him.

His attempts at intimidation worked instantly, when the third year broke eye contact unable to handle Draco's anger and the reminder of Snape's orders which he parroted for Draco's and, more importantly Harry suspected, the crowd's benefit. "To pick on the enemy and leave the mudbloods alone," Baddock reported guiltily. His sudden change of attitude from defiance to guilt took many people by surprise, including Ron and Hermione.

The response apparently failed to satisfy Draco, who wanted to know Baddock had not followed Snape's orders. "Then why are you picking on Dennis Creevey?" Draco demanded tersely, his gaze remaining firmly concentrated on Baddock's face. This caused the third year Slytherin to shift nervously, but did not engender a reply of any kind, causing Draco to make an accusation that assumed the worst. "Unless, you see Creevey as the enemy. Is that it? Are you a traitor? Are you a follower of the dark lord? Baddock's demeanour changed rapidly as Draco made his accusation. His guilt fell away, to be replaced with an immense outrage at Draco's words.

"I am not a traitor!" he yelled venomously, finally meeting Draco's eyes, "I was loyal long before you ever were and you know it. If you must know, I was actually trying to find something out before you poked in where you're not wanted. You can count yourself lucky that I found out all I wanted to know before you interrupted me."

Draco immediately relaxed upon hearing Baddock's explanation, a little too quickly for his anger to be real Harry suspected, "My apologies Malcolm," Draco responded sincerely, his apology undoubtedly genuine, "What is it you found out?"

"We've uncovered another supporter of You-Know-Who among the Gryffindors and we've also confirmed that the first years are indeed marked, just like the other year groups," Baddock responded, still sounding slightly annoyed with Draco.

Draco glanced over at Harry to discern his brother's reaction to the news and quickly scanned the crowd to see how many Voldemort supporters were among their audience, his face inscrutable in contrast to Harry's evident concern and anger. "Who?" he asked firmly, sounding as cold and emotionless as he currently appeared.

Baddock hesitated before replying, clearly unwilling to name the death eater publicly. It took a prompting from Harry before he spoke. "Jack Sloper," he said firmly looking directly at the Gryffindor beater. It was an accusation that met with instant denial from Sloper and from Andrew Kirke, who was quick to leap to his best friend's defence.

"Lies and Slander!" Sloper yelled, "You're lying to divide us and sabotage the quidditch team." It was clear that most people agreed him, however much Harry thought his counter accusation to be ridiculous, judging from the declarations of support and whisperings overheard as he pushed his way through the crowd towards the accused, most people preferred to believe the Gryffindor rather than the Slytherin. Harry, intent on checking whether Baddock's accusation was true made his way to the front of the crowd so he stood behind the two Gryffindor beaters, wand at the ready. Guessing what Harry was about to do Draco stepped forward, so as to get closer to Sloper, several Slytherins followed suit all with their wands in their hands and trained on Sloper and Kirke.

Harry had his wand trained on Sloper too, but that was so he could dispel the sleeves to Sloper's robes, in order to see if the Gryffindor beater bore the dark mark, as many of the students loyal to Voldemort did. He was not surprised to see the gruesome skull and serpent tattoo emblazoned on Sloper's forearm. It took Sloper about a minute to realise that his dark mark exposed, mainly because he and Kirke too busy bristling at Draco's venomous response to their defence and because not many people could see it clearly. Harry took the delay to vanish the sleeves to Kirke's robes as well, revealing another dark mark, not that this surprised either Harry, Draco or anybody else who did not automatically associate Gryffindor with all the was good and light. His allegiance was well known as Kirke's father was among those who had claimed to be under the Imperius Curse in the last war.

Whilst few were able to see Sloper's marked left arm, Kirke's dark mark was more visible and was soon noticed by several of the crowd, who reacted with shock and fear upon seeing it, there were several screams at the sight of the horrible deforming tattoo etched on Kirke's forearm. It was these screams and the fear evident on people's faces that alerted Kirke and Sloper to the unveiling of their allegiance. Harry, like Draco and the rest of the crowd, expected the two death eaters to start firing off curses or grin evilly and rant in support of Voldemort now that they were unmasked, as Jackson, Melchitt and Nott had done the previous day. They did neither, instead Sloper's gaze shifted into an annoyed and somewhat exasperated glare directed at the panicking onlookers. Kirke directed a more contemptuous glare towards Draco and spoke, "Not all Gryffindors are muggle lovers, Malfoy, and not all death eaters are evil. We, like my family before me, are merely doing what is right not what is easy. If that involves allying ourselves with evil then so be it, that is a sacrifice we must make if our kind is to have a future."

Draco responded with a contemptuous gaze, ignoring the crowd around him. "You choose the dark lord over your own house. Leo will ensure that you will be expelled for it," he sneered scathingly.

Kirke responded with a knowing grin that would have unnerved Harry if he were in position to see Kirke's face. As it was, his smugness conveyed the same expression, "As you well know, there is no school rule against supporting You-Know-Who and if you think that my housemates will petition for me to be expelled, then you obviously haven't noticed the absence of any teachers capable of ratifying our expulsion or the expulsion of our allies in the hospital wing." Harry wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed the absence of teachers, although he resisted the temptation to point out that he'd been planning to have Kirke and the other death eaters arrested rather than merely expelled.

Instead he let Draco vocalise the thought that was making the majority feel extremely tense and anxious. The narrowing of Draco's eyes indicated the Slytherin shared the concern, although he tried to hide behind the veil of hatred most evident in the tone of his reply, "What are you talking about traitor?" he spat viciously.

Sloper, who replied in his friend's stead, only succeeded in turning this concern and anxiety into mass hysteria. His triumphant grin providing an ominous precursor to his terrible claims. "The teachers were petrified late last night, check the staff room if you don't believe us," he responded, the seriousness of his reply belying his triumphant expression and feelings.

Naturally, mass panic ensued, until it was silenced by Harry who cast a spell that created a loud bang and gave a magically amplified call for "silence." The panic stopped and all eyes turned to face Harry looking desperately for leadership and reassurance from the most famous of their number. Harry, who had pushed his past a now stupefied Kirke and Sloper into the centre of the crowd, surpressed his nerves and started to speak in an attempt to reassure the students. If Sloper's claims were true, he wasn't sure he could organise the student body or lead them, that was more Hermione's forte, he could at least try to calm everyone down though and make them realise that the world had not ended and that even without the teachers everything would be fine. However, his speech was delayed by the arrival of Katie Bell, the head girl, on the scene bearing news that confirmed Sloper's claims.

"The school's been attacked by death eaters. The teachers have been petrified, they even got Professor Dumbledore." She announced from the top of the staircase leading to the upper floors of the castle. She was clearly out of breath, presumably because she had run from the staff room, nonetheless she sounded remarkably calm and collected despite the situation.

Her announcement caused another wave of hysteria that Harry had to silence, whilst he shared the concerns of his fellow students, many of whom were terrified that they would fall victim to the next attack. He knew that by panicking they were playing right into the death eater's hands and doing exactly what the enemy wanted them to do. The only way everyone was going to survive was by pulling together, trusting each other and organising the school so that it could be run and defended even without the teachers. Upon hearing of his appeal for silence, the crowd of students, which seemed to consist of about half the student body, turned to face Harry, looking for hope, leadership and guidance. He desperately didn't want to be charge but as the boy-who-lived and the one who had stepped in twice to call for some semblance of calm and order, it seemed he had no choice. The expectation of the students, the weight of responsibility and the fact that he had been placed in the spotlight all made him feel extremely uncomfortable. Still, it wasn't as if anyone else was going to do it, even the head girl appeared to be looking at him for instructions, which was not a good thing given that he had no idea what to do. He desperately looked to Hermione for help, but his bushy haired friend merely mouthed at him to say something, so he did what Dumbledore would have done in this situation.

"I want everyone to gather in the great hall and stay there until the castle has been thoroughly checked for intruders. No one is to leave the great hall without the permission of either the head boy or the head girl and if you are allowed to leave do not go anywhere alone. No searching for your friends either, we'll do that for you." He ordered, trying to sound as authoritative as Dumbledore would have in the same situation. He thought he failed miserably at it too as he was too uncomfortable at being the focus of the hopes and expectations of several hundred people, but from the mass of students filing into the great hall people were doing what he said. Well, everyone except his close friends, Draco and the other Slytherins in his year who headed towards him. Katie stopped to speak to speak to Harry as well as she walked past the spot where Harry, Draco and their friends had gathered.

"I didn't want to say this in front of the entire school but I think you ought to know that Lucius Malfoy was petrified along with the teachers," she said softly, addressing both Harry and Draco. Her message delivered, she left the two boys and their friends to take in the news and headed into the take great hall to take charge of the student body. Harry had taken the news in his stride, his heart had sunk to hear it, but to him this was no more distressing than hearing of the petrification of the teachers. He may have trusted Lucius and respected him as his father, but they were not especially close and did not share an especially loving relationship. Draco, however, took the news badly, his face paled and his eyes dulled in distress before he turned and ran off up the staircase towards the staff room, Crabbe and Goyle following close behind him in their usual role as Draco's bodyguards. Harry eager to follow, turned to Ron and Hermione and asked them to go to Gryffindor tower to get the Marauder's Map before running after Draco. They may not have been close, but Harry felt that he had a duty to be with his brother at a time like this, even if he wouldn't be able to help that much. As he dashed off after his half brother, he noticed that Draco's other friends as well as Neville and Luna followed him at a more sedate pace.

Harry caught up with Draco long before they got to their objective, consequently the two reached the open door to the staff room at the same and stopped at the sight of the horrific scene that confronted them. The teachers had obviously been in the middle of a staff meeting when they had been attacked from the looks on the teachers faces it appeared as though they had been taken by surprise and had been most of them had been petrified before they had time to react. Their frozen bodies were, depending on the individual, fixed into various states of shock, surprise, anger and fear. Only a few of them had time to draw their wands, namely Dumbledore, Lucius, Snape, Flitwick and McGonagall all of whom had been seated at the far end of the room. Firenze had also reacted but had suffered a more horrific fate, as he had been grievously injured by the single death eater who lay dead in the doorway, yet he was still alive and his wounds had been tended. The centaur seemed to have been injured whilst attacking one of the four strange animals that had done the petrifying, having clearly already killed another one of them in close combat. Thankfully all four of the creatures were dead, as was the death eater. Having processed what had happened, Draco ran over to Lucius and prodded him and examined his frozen body, before doing the same to Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore.

When Draco returned to speak to Harry he no longer looked distressed or shocked, just angry. His eyes had hardened to ice cold fury and his face was a blank mask. "She's right, they've been petrified and nothing else. There's no sign of any other injuries on them. Firenze was the only one injured by the death eater, who appears to be alive and asleep," he reported frostily. Harry knew his anger was aimed at the death eaters not him as did Crabbe and Goyle. The later of whom asked a question that had bothered Harry for a few brief seconds.

"Who healed Firenze?" Goyle asked sounding as dopey as ever.

"Madam Pomfrey presumably. She's not among the petrified as I spoke to her this morning to get her permission to leave the hospital wing. She looked and sounded pretty shaken when I spoke to her too, come to think of it," Harry replied. He'd ignored the mediwitch's obvious distress at the time, thinking it wasn't something that concerned him.

Draco responded to Harry's news by turning to Crabbe and Goyle and giving them orders to go to the hospital wing. "Kill the prisoners and bring whoever's guarding them and Pomfrey back here," he commanded, the two brainless lumps responded with a grunt and set off to in the direction of the hospital wing. Draco looked at Harry inquisitively when the Gryffindor made no reaction to his orders; he obviously expected a protest of horror at the prospect of killing the two death eaters lying in the hospital wing. He didn't get one because Harry knew that nothing he said would change anything, even if did feel uncomfortable with the rather mundane way in which Draco gave the order.

Instead of saying something, Harry removed the mask of the death eater to reveal the face of a seventh year Ravenclaw who was this years head boy. "Did you know he was a death eater?" he asked genuinely surprised at seeing who the death eater was.

"No," Draco replied, "although he was friends with a known enemy, but then so are most people, even if there are only two dozen or so of them. Although, if we isolate them from the rest of the school then they won't get any more even in the current situation."

"Why don't we just have them arrested? That's what I intend to do with Kirke and Sloper," Harry asked, curious as to why a Slytherin would dismiss that option. After all, with Fudge as minister they controlled the ministry. The response was to highlight a likelihood that had never occurred to Harry.

"The aurors wouldn't be able to get through the wards," Draco answered, as the group that had slowly followed Harry to the staff room finally arrived on the scene, "Last time all the senior teachers were petrified the school was automatically quarantined from the outside world. Only the house elves could get past the wards. I presume that wood elves would be able to get past the wards too." The last sentence was aimed at Zabini, for the elf to confirm or deny. He did neither.

"I would need to check that, once Ron gets here, we'll go and check the wards. Should we tell the ministry what's happened while we're about or wait until after we've sorted out a plan of action?" Zabini replied asking Draco as much as Harry. He hadn't even bothered to see what had happened and had immediately approached the two Malfoy's to discuss what needed to be done.

"Do it now. The soon we tell them what's happened the better. We don't the outside world to start panicking if it all possible. That's exactly what Voldemort wants us to do," Harry had suggested, looking to Draco for agreement. He duly came along with what the ministry should be told.

"Agreed," Draco continued. "Tell the minister that Dumbledore and the heads of houses are unconscious and that the school's been quarantined. Tell them that teaching is continuing as normal and that seventh years will be filling in for the unconscious teachers. Also say that we're looking for a way to allow everyone to send and receive their post presuming that owls won't be able to get past the wards, which you'd better test." Just as Harry asked for his agreement, so Draco asked Harry if there was anything that needed to be mentioned. There was not, although he did ask Neville and Luna to do something else that had occurred to him: check if Professor Sprout currently had any Mandrakes in stock. After all, they wouldn't be able to revive the teachers without the main ingredient for the Mandrake Restorative Draught. The idea obviously hadn't occurred to Draco, because upon hearing Harry's request, he sent Daphne Greengrass and Pansy Parkinson down to the dungeons to find out what the recipe for the restorative draught was and see if Professor Snape had all the right ingredients in stock.

They only got a few yards before Harry stopped them to ask for some truth serum, causing Draco to look at his brother quizzically. "What for?" he asked curiously, "Surely you don't believe that we should interrogate the entire school for death eaters?"

Harry shook his head, "No, only the Slytherins," he replied seriously, "There's no way we're going to be able to get through this if the school isn't together and that means everyone has to trust you. The only way that's ever going to happen is if you can question you under a truth serum."

Draco snorted disbelievingly, "You can feed us as much Veritaserum as you like they'll never believe us and even if they did they'd never work with us," he retorted disbelievingly. Harry couldn't help but glare at Draco for his defeatist attitude. He knew that it would take a while for the rest of the school to trust the Slytherins, no amount of Veritaserum could make up for past experience and firmly held beliefs, but he knew that he'd succeed in building a degree of trust of eventually.

That this small degree of trust between the students of all the Hogwarts houses was to take three months of working alongside each other without the teachers and several days of intense interrogation no-one knew at the time. They were to be thankful for it though because when Voldemort and the army of dark elves, dark wizards and dark creatures that he commanded came to Hogwarts intent on destroying his greatest enemies and capturing the artefacts these enemies guarded, this trust was to prove essential to the successful defence of Hogwarts and all that she protected.

**

The End 

**

Yes, its a cliffhanger ending, but much of how the students of Hogwarts survive is irrelevant to this story and the interrogations of the Slytherins that proceed them are neither interesting nor allow for a better ending. If anyone wants to write a continuation or use the situation the students now find themselves in for their own fics, feel free.

Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 24, your reviews were most appreciated.


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